JP6394118B2 - Plant growing apparatus, plant growing method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant growing device, a plant growing method, and a program.

  There is a technique for efficiently growing plants with an artificial light source in a plant factory or the like.

  Patent Document 1 includes a growing floor on which a plant is grown, a movable base that can move while supporting the growing floor, and a control unit that moves the position of the movable base in accordance with the growing situation of the plant. Discloses a mobile cultivation apparatus that can be moved to a position of a suitable cultivation environment. The document also discloses that the movable table is moved up and down (vertical direction) by floating the movable table in water, an aqueous solution containing nutrients, an arbitrary liquid, etc., and changing the height of the water surface. Yes.

  Patent Document 2 is a water tank for storing a nutrient solution, a float that supports a plant with respect to the nutrient solution stored in the tank, and a float that is movable in the tank while maintaining a floating state with respect to the nutrient solution. The cultivation apparatus provided with the light source body which changed height in steps and was provided above the water tank is disclosed. The cultivation apparatus disclosed in this document moves the float supporting the plant while floating in the nutrient solution in accordance with the growth situation of the plant. At this time, by moving the float so that the distance between the plant and the light source body is maintained within a predetermined range, light can be irradiated from a distance suitable for the growth of the plant.

JP 2013-87 A JP 11-89427 A

  When growing a plant with an artificial light source, because the distance from the light source to the plant changes depending on the growing state of the plant to be grown, for example, if the distance from the light source to the plant becomes small, the light cannot be irradiated over a wide range, When the distance from the light source to the plant is increased, the light may be diffused and wasted, so that the plant may not be efficiently irradiated with light.

  The invention described in Patent Document 1 can move the position of the plant and control the amount of light, but efficiently irradiates the plant with light in consideration of the size and shape of the leaf of the plant. It does not adjust the positional relationship between the plant and the light source with high accuracy.

  On the other hand, the invention described in Patent Document 2 describes that the float is moved so that the distance between the plant and the light source body is maintained within a predetermined range. However, there is a problem that the structure for gradually changing the height of the light source body becomes complicated and expensive. Therefore, it has been required to acquire information indicating the growth state of a plant with a simple configuration and to efficiently irradiate the plant with light from a light source according to the growth state of the plant.

  The present invention is for solving the above-described problems, and has a simple configuration and can efficiently irradiate light from a light source to the plant according to the growing state of the plant. The object is to provide a plant growing method and program.

In order to achieve the object, one aspect of the plant growing device according to the present invention is:
A photographing unit for photographing the plant which is held by a holding body floating in the liquid in a liquid tank in which a liquid for growing the plant is placed and irradiated with light from a light source;
An information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a growing state of the plant by performing image processing on a captured image of the plant obtained by imaging of the imaging unit;
Based on the information indicating the growing state of the plant acquired by the information acquisition unit, a drainage amount acquisition unit that acquires an amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank;
A drainage unit that drains the amount of the liquid acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit from the liquid tank;
Comprising
It is characterized by that.
In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the plant growing method according to the present invention is:
Photographing the plant irradiated with light from a light source held by a holding body floating in the liquid in a liquid tank containing a liquid for growing the plant,
By performing image processing on the photographed image of the plant that has been photographed, information indicating the growing state of the plant is obtained,
Based on the acquired information indicating the growing state of the plant, obtain the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank,
Discharging the obtained amount of the liquid from the liquid tank;
Including that,
It is characterized by that.
In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the program according to the present invention is as follows:
In a computer of a plant growing device comprising a photographing unit and a drainage unit ,
Ability to the plant which is irradiated with light by the light source held by the holding member suspended in the liquid in the liquid bath liquid was placed for growing plants Ru is photographed on the photographing unit,
Wherein the captured images of the plants were taken to be image processing to imaging unit, Ru to acquire information indicating the development state of the plant function,
Based on the information indicating the development state of were acquired the plant, Ru to acquire an amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath function,
A function of discharging the obtained amount of the liquid from the liquid tank to the drainage section ;
To realize,
It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a plant growing device, a plant growing method, and a program capable of efficiently irradiating light from a light source to the plant according to the growing state of the plant with a simple configuration. .

(A) is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. (B) is a figure which shows the picked-up image which image | photographed the plant of the growth object in the state of (a) from upper direction. (A) is a block diagram which shows the physical structure of a liquid quantity control apparatus. (B) is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the liquid amount control device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the liquid quantity control process which the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the drainage amount acquisition process which the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 performs. (A) is a figure which shows the state after the plant growth of the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. (B) is a figure which shows the picked-up image which image | photographed the plant of the growth object in the state of (a) from upper direction. (A) is a figure which shows the state after draining of the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. (B) is a figure which shows the picked-up image which image | photographed the plant of the growth object in the state of (a) from upper direction. (A) is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. (B) is a figure which shows the picked-up image which image | photographed the plant of the growth object in the state of (a) from the side. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the drainage amount acquisition process which the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 performs. (A) is a figure which shows the state after the plant growth of the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. (B) is a figure which shows the picked-up image which image | photographed the plant of the growth object in the state of (a) from the side. (A) is a figure which shows the state after draining of the plant growing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. (B) is a figure which shows the picked-up image which image | photographed the plant of the growth object in the state of (a) from the side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1A shows an outline of a plant growing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The plant growing apparatus 1 is a facility for growing a plant 2 to be grown by hydroponics in a growing room 5 in a building such as a plant factory. Fig.1 (a) has shown the plant growing apparatus 1 in the state which started the cultivation of the plant 2 to be grown. The plant growing device 1 includes a solution tank 10, a float 11, a light source 12, a camera 13, a drainage drain 14, an excess solution container 15, a liquid level meter 16, and a liquid supply pump 17.

  The solution tank 10 is a liquid tank into which a solution 3 that is a liquid for growing the plant 2 to be grown is placed. The solution tank 10 is installed on the floor of the growth chamber 5 and can store an appropriate amount of the solution 3. As will be described later, since the distance between the plant 2 and the light source 12 is adjusted by the amount of the solution 3 placed in the solution tank 10, the solution tank 10 is assumed to reach a height that the plant 2 to be grown reaches after the growth. It is preferable that it is the size which can put the solution 3 to the height (depth) more than this.

The solution 3 is a liquid for growing the plant 2 to be grown. Specifically, the solution 3 is a nutrient solution containing nutrients necessary for growing the plant 2 to be grown. As the solution 3, an appropriate liquid for appropriately growing the plant 2 can be used according to the plant 2 to be grown. In addition, when growing the plant 2 without using a special fertilizer, the liquid put into the solution tank 10 does not contain a nutrient but may be water.
As for the plant 2, the inventor adopted komatsuna and lettuce, chingensai, basil, Italian parsley, and coriander. However, the types of plants are not particularly limited, and can be applied to many plants.
The solution 3 may be a general water-soluble fertilizer diluted with water, and Hyponica (registered trademark) diluted 500 times. In some cases, a plant activator may be mixed. The components of the solution 3 are changed depending on whether the plant to be grown is edible or ornamental.

  The float 11 floats in the solution 3 placed in the solution tank 10 and functions as a holding body that holds the plant 2. The float 11 is made of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the solution 3, and supports the plant 2 to be grown while floating on the liquid surface 4. In addition, the float 11 includes a sponge or a member having solution permeability according to the sponge at a site where the plant 2 is held, and supplies the solution 3 to the plant 2.

  The plant 2 to be grown is attached to the float 11 in a seed or seedling state. The float 11 can hold a plurality of plants as the plant 2 to be grown. For example, in FIG. 1A, the float 11 holds four seedlings immediately after germination as the plant 2 to be grown. Hereinafter, the four seedlings held by the float 11 and the plants after the growth are collectively referred to as a plant 2.

  The color of at least the upper surface of the float 11, that is, the surface on the side where the camera 13 is installed is such that the image of the plant 2 can be extracted from the background image in the process of acquiring the growing state of the plant 2 described later. The color is different from the second color, that is, a color other than green, which is the color of the leaf to be photo-synthesized. For example, the entire upper surface of the float 11 is made white.

  The light source 12 irradiates the plant 2 held by the float 11 with light. A plurality of light sources 12 are installed side by side above the plants 2 held by the float 11 so that the plurality of plants 2 can be uniformly irradiated with light. For example, at the start of the growth shown in FIG. 1A, the light source 12 is installed at a height of a distance L1 from the upper end of the plant 2 in a seedling state.

  As the light source 12, an artificial light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that can irradiate light having a wavelength and light amount suitable for growing according to the plant 2 to be grown is used. Moreover, it is preferable that the light source 12 is a thing with a small emitted-heat amount so that the plant 2 may not be damaged by heat. The light source 12 supplies light for the plant 2 to synthesize light, and also has a role as a light source for photographing of the camera 13.

Although it depends on the type and scale of the plant 2, it was used as a light source with white light and a light intensity of about 15000 lux.
However, the light source need not be white light (sunlight). When red and blue monochromatic LEDs are used as the light source 12, both of them reach sufficiently, and it is not preferable that they are too close. (Because there is a position that can hit only one). The size of the leaf is determined from the image, and the red and blue single color LEDs are adjusted so as to uniformly hit the leaf.
As the type of the light source 12, in addition to the LED, a high-pressure sodium lamp, a ceramic metal halide lamp, a three-wavelength white fluorescent lamp, an incandescent lamp, a mercury lamp, and the like are used, and combinations thereof are also used. The optimal light source, light amount, wavelength, etc., vary depending on the type of plant 2 and the growing process. Basically, plants that obtain flowers and fruits need high brightness, and leaf vegetables and root vegetables have low light saturation points.

The amount of light depends on the type and scale of the plant 2 and is set between the light saturation point (the light intensity at which the photosynthesis rate is maximized) and the light compensation point, but about 10,000 to 15,000 immediately after germination. The light of lux was irradiated, and after about 2 weeks, the light intensity was increased and the light of about 20,000 to 25,000 lux was irradiated.
Regarding the wavelength, radiation effective for plants includes physiological effective radiation (300 to 800 nm) and photosynthetic effective radiation (400 to 700 nm). It is known that germination is promoted by red light (660 nm) during germination. Also, in the internode elongation action, blue light has a suppressive effect under strong light, red light has a high suppressive effect under weak light, and far-infrared light is required during mixed light irradiation. It is known that the growth of growth depends on the balance of external light ratio. Furthermore, it is said that light in the wavelength region of 500 to 600 nm is unnecessary for plants. In general, if there is more blue light, the leaves will be thicker and the height will be restrained, and if there is more red light, the leaves will be thinner and the height will be more accelerating.

The camera 13 functions as a photographing unit that photographs the plant 2 to be grown. The camera 13 is installed on the ceiling of the growth room 5 above the plant 2 held by the float 11 and further above the light source 12, and photographs the plant 2 from between the supports that support the light source 12. . For example, at the start of the growth shown in FIG. 1A, the camera 13 is installed at a height of a distance D1 from the upper end of the plant 2 in a seedling state.
For example, D1 is about 10 cm.

  FIG. 1B shows a photographed image obtained by photographing the plant 2 to be grown with the camera 13. The photographed image 30a includes images of the four plants 2 in a seedling state at the center thereof, together with images of the solution tank 10 and the float 11. The camera 13 acquires, for example, a captured image in which the entire plant 2 on the float 11 is included in the angle of view, such as the captured image 30a.

  The drainage drain 14 discharges the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 to the surplus solution container 15. The drainage drain 14 includes an opening / closing valve in the middle of the pipe, and can control the flow rate of the solution 3 from the solution tank 10 to the surplus solution container 15.

  The liquid level meter 16 measures the height of the liquid level 4 in the solution tank 10 and acquires the liquid level of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10. Various types of liquid level gauges such as a float type liquid level gauge using a float floating on the liquid level 4 or an ultrasonic type liquid level gauge using ultrasonic waves reflected on the liquid level 4 as the liquid level gauge 16 Can be used. In addition, the height of the liquid level 4 measured by the liquid level gauge 16 is also used as an index of the position of the float 11 and the plant 2 held by the float 11.

  The liquid supply pump 17 pumps up the solution 3 discharged to the surplus solution container 15 and supplies the solution 3 to the solution tank 10. When the consumption of the solution in the solution tank 10 is detected by the liquid level meter 16, the liquid supply pump 17 pumps a necessary amount of the solution 3 from the excess solution container 15 and returns it to the solution tank 10 again. As the liquid supply pump 17, various types of pumps such as a positive displacement pump or a non-positive displacement pump can be used.

  The plant growing device 1 further includes a liquid amount control device (not shown in FIG. 1A) that controls the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 via the drainage drain 14 and the liquid supply pump 17.

  FIG. 2A shows a physical configuration of the liquid amount control apparatus. The liquid quantity control device 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a timer unit 24, a storage unit 25, an input unit 26, and an output. Unit 27, communication unit 28, and image processing unit 29.

  The CPU 21 is connected to each part of the liquid amount control device 20 via a system bus that is a transmission path for transferring commands and data, and controls the entire liquid amount control device 20. More specifically, the CPU 21 controls the operation of each unit of the liquid amount control device 20 by appropriately executing various programs stored in the ROM 22 and the storage unit 25 while using the RAM 23 as a work memory.

  The timer unit 24 includes, for example, an RTC (Real Time Clock) and measures the current time and the elapsed time.

  The storage unit 25 includes a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory, for example, and is generated when the liquid amount control device 20 performs various processes and the program and data used for performing various processes. Alternatively, the data to be acquired is stored.

  The input unit 26 is, for example, a keyboard. The input unit 26 inputs text data or the like input by the operator using the keyboard to the CPU 21.

  The output unit 27 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The output unit 27 displays and outputs the text data output by the CPU 21 on the screen.

  The communication unit 28 communicates data with an external information terminal in a wired or wireless manner via, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The image processing unit 29 processes the image data by an image arithmetic processor. The image processing unit 29 executes, for example, image data overlay calculation, transparency calculation such as alpha blending, and various saturation calculations.

  FIG. 2B shows a functional configuration of the liquid amount control device 20. The liquid amount control device 20 includes an information acquisition unit 31, a drainage amount acquisition unit 32, a drainage unit 34, a liquid level acquisition unit 36, and a liquid supply unit 37.

The information acquisition unit 31 acquires information indicating the growing state of the plant 2 by processing a captured image of the plant 2 obtained by photographing with the camera 13.
The drainage amount acquisition unit 32 acquires the amount of the solution 3 to be discharged from the solution tank 10 based on the information indicating the growing state of the plant 2 acquired by the information acquisition unit 31.
The drainage unit 34 controls the drainage drain 14 to discharge the amount of the solution 3 acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 from the solution tank 10.
The liquid level acquisition unit 36 acquires the liquid level of the solution 3 placed in the solution tank 10 measured by the liquid level meter 16.
When the liquid supply unit 37 determines that the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 is insufficient based on the liquid level acquired by the liquid level acquisition unit 36, the liquid supply unit 37 controls the liquid supply pump 17 to control the solution tank 10. Solution 3 is supplied to

  The CPU 21 functions as each of the above units by reading out the software program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage unit 25 to the RAM 23 and controlling the execution of the software program. Details of the functions of these units will be described in the flow of the liquid amount control process executed by the liquid amount control device 20 shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4.

  Hereinafter, the flow of the liquid amount control process executed by the liquid amount control apparatus 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  At the start of the growth, the float 11 is raised to a position as high as possible by putting as much solution 3 in the solution tank 10 as possible. In this state, the liquid level meter 16 starts measuring the height of the liquid level 4.

  The CPU 21 measures the elapsed time from the time when the plant 2 is photographed by the camera 13 with the camera 13 by the time measuring unit 24 (step S100), and determines whether or not the designated time has elapsed (step S100). S101).

  The plant growing device 1 adjusts the amount of the solution 3 by photographing the plant 2 with the camera 13 periodically, for example, once a day. In this case, the CPU 21 determines whether or not 24 hours have elapsed since the start of the breeding or immediately before the plant 13 is photographed with the camera 13. Alternatively, the CPU 21 may acquire the current time by the time measuring unit 24 and determine whether or not a predetermined time of the day has come. When the designated time has not elapsed (step S101; NO), the CPU 21 returns the process to step S100 and waits until the designated time has elapsed.

  When the specified time elapses (step S101; YES), the CPU 21 captures the plant 2 with the camera 13 (step S102) and acquires a captured image of the plant 2. More specifically, the CPU 21 sends a shooting command to the camera 13 and acquires an image indicating the current state in the growing room 5 including the plant 2 to be grown. For example, when the current time is the start of training, the CPU 21 acquires the captured image 30a shown in FIG.

The CPU 21 executes a drainage amount acquisition process based on the obtained captured image (step S103). Hereinafter, details of the drainage volume acquisition process definitive to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to drainage volume acquisition process 1 shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In the drainage amount acquisition process, the information acquisition unit 31 first detects the region of the image of the plant 2 to be grown from the captured image by analyzing the color distribution of the acquired captured image (step) S200).

  Specifically, the information acquisition unit 31 analyzes the pixel value of each pixel in the captured image by the function of the image processing unit 29, and identifies the green region that is the color of the plant 2 from the captured image. To do. As described above, the color of the upper surface of the float 11 is different from the assumed green color of the plant 2, and the camera 13 captures the plant 2 under the light source 12 that emits uniform light. . Therefore, the information acquisition unit 31 can easily detect the range in which the plant 2 is captured from the captured image.

  When the area of the image of the plant 2 is detected, the information acquisition unit 31 secondly acquires the size of the detected area, that is, the size of the plant 2 in the photographed image as information indicating the growing state of the plant 2 (step S201). ).

  More specifically, the information acquisition unit 31 ignores the region outside the float 11 in the field of view of the camera 13 obtained as a captured image, and sets white as the color of the upper surface of the float 11. Attention is focused on the region that has been divided into green, which is the color of the plant 2. And the size of the plant 2 in a picked-up image is acquired by calculating the ratio of the green in the area | region divided into white and green.

When the size of the plant 2 in the captured image is acquired, the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 then predicts the height of the plant 2 from the acquired size (step S202). And the amount of drainage which should be discharged | emitted from the solution tank 10 is acquired so that the size of the plant 2 in the picked-up image acquired by imaging | photography of the camera 13 may be kept constant (step S203).
The predicted height may be calculated from the leaf size specific to the plant 2 type, or calculated so that the grower can specify the leaf size when it is desired to keep the size. May be.

  FIG. 5A shows a state after the growth of the plant 2 of the plant growing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), when time elapses from the growth start state shown in FIG. 1 (a) and the plant 2 grows taller, the distance from the light source 12 to the upper end of the plant 2 is increased. The distance from L1 to L2 is reduced, and the distance between the camera 13 capturing the plant 2 from above and the plant 2 is also reduced from D1 to D2. In addition to this, the leaf size of the plant 2 also increases. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the size of the plant 2 in the captured image 30b by the camera 13 is larger than the size of the plant 2 in the captured image 30a illustrated in FIG.

  When the size of the plant 2 photographed from the camera 13 is increased, the light from the light source 12 is difficult to reach the entire plant 2. In order to avoid this, the drainage unit 34 discharges the solution 3 from the solution tank 10 and lowers the position of the float 11 so that the size of the plant 2 in the photographed image is kept constant. Increase the distance to

  A specific example of the drainage amount acquisition process will be described. The size of the plant 2 in the image captured by the camera 13 is proportional to the square of the distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2. That is, for example, when it is desired to reduce the size of the plant 2 in the captured image to ¼, the distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2 may be doubled. When the size of the plant 2 in the photographed image 30a obtained at the start of the growth shown in FIG. 1B is expressed as S1, and the size of the plant in the photographed image 30b shown in FIG. In order to keep the size of the plant 2 at S1 which is the size at the start of the cultivation, the distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2 is calculated from the distance D2 between the camera 13 and the plant 2 when the captured image 30b is acquired. It suffices if the distance is (S2 / S1) times.

The drainage amount acquisition unit 32 calculates a drainage amount that can distance the distance D2 from the camera 13 to the plant 2 by √ (S2 / S1) times. When this drainage amount is expressed as W1, the drainage amount W1 is determined by the following equation (1) using the cross-sectional area A of the solution tank 10.
W1 = D2 × (√ (S2 / S1) −1) × A (1)

  Here, the current distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2 (for example, the distance D2 when the captured image 30b is acquired) can be accurately acquired by using a measuring instrument that measures the distance. Or the present distance of the camera 13 and the plant 2 can also be acquired by combining with the characteristic image | photographed with the camera 13 from the side of the plant 2 in Embodiment 2 mentioned later. In this case, the liquid amount control device 20 stores the size S1 of the plant 2 and the cross-sectional area A of the solution tank 10 in the captured image 30a obtained at the start of the growth in the storage unit 25 in advance. And if the picked-up image which shows the present growth state of the plant 2 by the camera 13 is obtained, the drainage amount acquisition part 32 will calculate from the size of the plant 2 in a picked-up image, and the present distance of the camera 13 and the plant 2. Then, the drainage amount W1 is calculated according to the above equation (1).

  On the other hand, when there is no means for acquiring the current distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2, the camera at the start of the cultivation is assumed by assuming that the leaf size is constant regardless of the growth process of the plant 2. From the distance D1 between 13 and the plant 2, the current distance can be estimated. For example, when it is assumed that the leaf size in the photographed image has not changed since the start of the growth, the distance D2 between the camera 13 and the plant 2 when the photographed image 30b shown in FIG. It can be estimated as a distance determined by “D2≈D1 × √ (S1 / S2)”. By estimating in this way, the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 predicts the height of the plant 2 when the captured image 30b is acquired.

When it is predicted that the current distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2 is “D2≈D1 × √ (S1 / S2)”, the above equation (1) for determining the drainage amount W1 is as follows: Using the distance D1 with the plant 2, it can be rewritten as the following equation (1 ′). In this case, the liquid amount control device 20 includes the size S1 of the plant 2 in the captured image 30a obtained at the start of growth, the cross-sectional area A of the solution tank 10, and the distance D1 between the camera 13 and the plant 2 at the start of growth. Are stored in the storage unit 25 in advance. And if the picked-up image which shows the present growing state of the plant 2 by the camera 13 is obtained, the drainage amount acquisition part 32 will follow the following (1 ') type | formula from the size of the plant 2 in a picked-up image, and drainage amount W1. Is calculated.
W1≈D1 × {1-√ (S1 / S2)} × A (1 ′)

The drainage amount acquisition unit 32 may acquire the drainage amount based on other methods, not limited to the above formula (1) or (1 ′). A correspondence relationship between the size of the plant 2 and the drainage amount is prepared in advance so that a larger amount of the solution 3 is discharged as the size of the plant 2 in the photographed image is larger, and information is obtained based on the correspondence relationship. You may acquire the amount of drainage from the size of the plant 2 in the picked-up image which the acquisition part 31 acquired.

  When the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 acquires the drainage amount, the float chart in FIG. 4 ends. The description returns to the flowchart of FIG. When the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 acquires the drainage amount, the drainage unit 34 determines whether or not drainage is necessary (step S104). For example, the drainage unit 34 determines that drainage is necessary when the drainage amount acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

  When it is determined that drainage is necessary (step S104; YES), the drainage unit 34 executes drainage processing (step S105). That is, the drainage unit 34 controls the open / close valve of the drainage drain 14 so that the amount of the solution 3 acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 is discharged, and the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 is supplied as an excess solution. Drain into container 15.

  FIG. 6A shows a state after drainage of the plant growing device 1. By reducing the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 by the drainage treatment, the position of the float 11 is lowered from the state shown in FIG. As a result, the distance between the light source 12 and the plant 2 increases from L2 to L3. Further, the distance between the camera 13 and the plant 2 increases from D2 to D3.

  When the drainage unit 34 executes the drainage process, the liquid amount control process returns to step S102. That is, the CPU 21 photographs the plant 2 in the state after draining with the camera 13 (step S102). Then, a drainage amount acquisition process is executed by analyzing the obtained captured image (step S103), and it is determined whether or not another drainage is necessary (step S104).

  For example, the CPU 21 acquires the captured image 30c illustrated in FIG. 6B by capturing the plant 2 in the state after draining illustrated in FIG. By lowering the position of the float 11 by drainage, the size of the plant 2 in the photographed image 30c becomes substantially the same as the size of the plant 2 in the photographed image 30a obtained at the start of growth. As described above, the liquid amount control device 20 controls the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 so that the size of the plant 2 in the captured image captured by the camera 13 is kept constant.

  In addition, after controlling the amount of the solution 3 by drainage, for example, when an appropriate amount of the solution 3 cannot be drained from the solution tank 10 by one drainage process, the drainage is necessary again in step S104. If it is determined, the drainage unit 34 executes the drainage process again (step S105).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S104 that drainage is not necessary (step S104; NO), the liquid level acquisition unit 36 acquires the current liquid level in the solution tank 10 by the liquid level meter 16. (Step S106). And based on the liquid level which the liquid level acquisition part 36 acquired, the liquid supply part 37 discriminate | determines whether a liquid supply is required (step S107).

  For example, when the plant 2 absorbs the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 for growth, the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 decreases. The liquid supply unit 37 detects whether or not the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 is insufficient by detecting the height of the liquid level 4 with the liquid level gauge 16, and if necessary, the liquid supply pump 17. Add excess solution at. Thereby, the shortage of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 and the fact that the plant 2 is too far from the light source 12 are avoided.

  The liquid level acquisition unit 36 measures the liquid level at the time after each drainage process with the liquid level meter 16 and stores it in the storage unit 25 every time the drainage process is executed, for example. And if the liquid level acquisition part 36 acquires a liquid level in step S106, the liquid supply part 37 will read the liquid level measured after performing the drainage process most recently from the memory | storage part 25, and will compare with the present liquid level. To do. As a result of the comparison, when the amount of decrease from the liquid level measured after the most recent drainage processing is performed to the current liquid level exceeds an amount that becomes a predetermined threshold, the liquid supply unit 37 Is determined to be necessary.

  When it is determined that liquid supply is necessary (step S107; YES), the liquid supply unit 37 executes a liquid supply process (step S108). That is, the liquid supply unit 37 controls the liquid supply pump 17 to pump out a necessary amount of the solution 3 from the surplus solution container 15 and supply it to the solution tank 10. For example, the liquid supply unit 37 applies the amount of the solution 3 obtained by multiplying the difference between the liquid level measured after the most recent drainage treatment and the current liquid level by the cross-sectional area of the solution tank 10. 10 is supplied. Thereby, the liquid level in the solution tank 10 is returned to the liquid level measured after performing the drainage process most recently.

  When the liquid supply unit 37 executes the liquid supply process, the liquid amount control process returns to step S102. That is, the CPU 21 photographs the plant 2 in the state after draining with the camera 13 (step S102). Then, a drainage amount acquisition process is executed by analyzing the obtained captured image (step S103), and it is determined whether or not another drainage or liquid supply is necessary (steps S104 and S107).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S107 that liquid supply is not necessary (step S107; NO), the liquid amount control process returns to step S100. That is, the CPU 21 waits until the next timing for measuring the elapsed time by the timer unit 24 and taking an image with the camera 13 to control the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 comes. Thus, one cycle of the liquid amount control process in the first embodiment is completed. The liquid amount control device 20 adjusts the distance between the plant 2 and the light source 12 by repeating such processing and controlling the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10.

  As described above, the plant growing device 1 according to the first embodiment holds the plant 2 to be grown on the float 11 floated on the solution 3 placed in the solution tank 10, and the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 is retained. The distance between the light source 12 and the plant 2 is adjusted by moving the float 11 up and down by discharging or supplying it. Since the distance is adjusted based on the result of image processing of the image of the plant 2 captured by the camera 13 installed above, the light source 12 can be efficiently irradiated with the light from the light source 12. The distance between 12 and the plant 2 can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  Moreover, since the position of the plant 2 is adjusted according to the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10, the plant growing device 1 according to the first embodiment does not require a large-scale mechanism for moving the position of the plant 2, and the camera The plant 2 can be grown while the light from the light source 12 is efficiently irradiated to the plant 2 to be grown with a simple configuration using minimum equipment such as the drainage drain 14 and the feed pump 17. Since the apparatus can be reduced in size and weight, the plant 2 can be grown using the plant growing apparatus 1 even in a general household. Moreover, since drainage and liquid supply are automatically performed, the plant 2 can be grown without considering watering over a long period of time. Further, since the plant 2 to be grown is photographed by the camera 13, the grower of the plant 2 can know without missing an appropriate timing at which the plant 2 should be harvested.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 (a) shows an outline of a plant growing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Fig.7 (a) has shown the plant growing apparatus 1a in the state which started the cultivation of the plant 2 to be grown. The plant growing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment includes a solution tank 10, a float 11, a light source 12, a camera 13a, a drainage drain 14, a surplus solution container 15, a liquid level meter 16, and a liquid supply pump 17. And comprising. Further, the plant growing device 1a further includes a liquid amount control device 20 (not shown in FIG. 7A) for controlling the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 via the drainage drain 14 and the liquid supply pump 17. Prepare.

  In the plant growing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the camera 13 is installed above the plant 2 to be grown that is held by the float 11. On the other hand, in the plant growing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment, the camera 13a is located on the side of the plant 2 to be grown and held on the float 11 and is installed on the side wall of the growing room 5, for example. Shoot from the side. Since the other structure with which the plant growing apparatus 1a which concerns on Embodiment 2 is provided is the same as the structure with which the plant growing apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 is equipped, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted here.

  FIG. 7B shows a photographed image obtained by photographing the plant 2 to be grown with the camera 13a. The captured image 30d includes an image of the plant 2 in a seedling state from the side along with images of the solution tank 10 and the float 11. The camera 13a acquires a photographed image in which the plant 2 on the float 11 is stored in the angle of view from the side, such as the photographed image 30d. The photographed image 30d shows a state in which the upper end of the plant 2 is located at a height H1 from the lower end of the photographed image 30d.

  In addition, the color of the side wall 6 on the opposite side to the side wall where the camera 13a in the growing room 5 is installed is such that the image of the plant 2 can be extracted from the background image in the process of acquiring the growing state of the plant 2 described later. Therefore, the color of the plant 2 is different from the color of the plant 2, that is, a color other than green (for example, white) which is a leaf color to be photo-synthesized. Alternatively, instead of making the side wall 6 a color other than green, a background other than green is provided between the side wall 6 and the plant 2 so that the background of the image captured by the camera 13a is a color other than green. Good.

  In the plant growing device 1a according to the second embodiment, the liquid amount control device 20 controls the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 based on a photographed image 30d obtained by photographing the plant 2 with the camera 13a. In the second embodiment, the liquid volume control process executed by the liquid volume control device 20 follows the flow of the flowchart of FIG. 3 as in the first embodiment.

  That is, the CPU 21 measures the elapsed time since the plant 2 was photographed with the camera 13a immediately before the start of the growth or just before the start of the growth (step S100), and determines whether or not the specified time has elapsed. (Step S101). When the designated time has not elapsed (step S101; NO), the CPU 21 returns the process to step S100 and waits until the designated time has elapsed.

  When the specified time has elapsed (step S101; YES), the CPU 21 captures the plant 2 with the camera 13a (step S102) and acquires a captured image of the plant 2. The CPU 21 executes a drainage amount acquisition process based on the obtained captured image (step S103).

The drainage amount acquisition process in step S103 differs between the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Hereinafter, details of the drainage volume acquisition process definitive to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to drainage amount acquisition processing 2 shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In the drainage amount acquisition process, the information acquisition unit 31 first detects the region of the image of the plant 2 to be grown from the captured image by analyzing the color distribution of the acquired captured image (step) S300).

Specifically, the information acquisition unit 31 analyzes the pixel value of each pixel in the captured image by the function of the image processing unit 29, and identifies the green region that is the color of the plant 2 from the captured image. To do. As described above, the color of the side wall 6 is different from the assumed green color of the plant 2, and the camera 13 a photographs the plant 2 under the light source 12 that emits uniform light. Therefore, the information acquisition unit 31 can easily detect the range in which the plant 2 is captured from the captured image.

  When the area of the image of the plant 2 is detected, the information acquisition unit 31 secondly acquires the uppermost position of the detected area, that is, the height of the plant 2 as information indicating the growing state of the plant 2 (step S301). . For example, at the start of growth, the information acquisition unit 31 acquires H1 that is the height from the lower end of the captured image 30d to the upper end of the plant 2 from the captured image 30d illustrated in FIG.

  And the drainage amount acquisition part 32 acquires the drainage amount which should be discharged | emitted from the solution tank 10 so that the height of the plant 2 which the information acquisition part 31 acquired is kept constant (step S302).

  FIG. 9A shows a state after the growth of the plant 2 of the plant growing device 1a. As shown in FIG. 9 (a), when time elapses from the growth start state shown in FIG. 7 (a) and the plant 2 grows taller, the distance from the light source 12 to the upper end of the plant 2 is increased. Shrink from L1 to L2. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 9B, the height H2 of the plant 2 in the captured image 30e by the camera 13a is higher than the height H1 of the plant 2 in the captured image 30d illustrated in FIG. 7B. Become.

  When the height of the plant 2 is increased, the light from the light source 12 is difficult to reach the entire plant 2. In order to avoid this, the drainage unit 34 discharges the solution 3 from the solution tank 10 and lowers the position of the float 11 so that the height of the plant 2 in the photographed image is kept constant. Increase the distance to 2.

Therefore, the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 calculates the drainage amount for reducing the position of the float 11 by the distance “H2−H1 (= L1−L2)”. When this drainage amount is expressed as W2, the drainage amount W2 is determined by the following equation (2) using the cross-sectional area A of the solution tank 10.
W2 = (H2-H1) × A (2)

The liquid amount control device 20 stores the height H1 of the plant 2 and the cross-sectional area A of the solution tank 10 in the captured image 30d obtained at the start of the growth in the storage unit 25 in advance. When the photographed image showing the current development status of the plant 2 by the camera 13 a is obtained, from a height plant 2 in the captured image, according to the above (2), to calculate the drained volume W2.

  In addition, the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 may acquire the drainage amount based on other methods without being limited to the above formula (2). A correspondence relationship between the height of the plant 2 and the drainage amount is prepared in advance so that a larger amount of the solution 3 is discharged as the height of the plant 2 in the photographed image is higher. You may acquire the amount of drainage from the height of the plant 2 in the picked-up image which the information acquisition part 31 acquired.

  When the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 acquires the drainage amount, the float chart in FIG. 8 ends. Hereinafter, the liquid amount control process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 acquires the drainage amount, the drainage unit 34 determines whether or not drainage is necessary (step S104). For example, the drainage unit 34 determines that drainage is necessary when the drainage amount acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

  When it is determined that drainage is necessary (step S104; YES), the drainage unit 34 executes drainage processing (step S105). That is, the drainage unit 34 controls the open / close valve of the drainage drain 14 so that the amount of the solution 3 acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit 32 is discharged, and the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 is supplied as an excess solution. Drain into container 15.

  FIG. 10A shows a state after draining the plant growing device 1. By reducing the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 by the drainage treatment, the position of the float 11 is lowered from the state shown in FIG. As a result, the distance between the light source 12 and the plant 2 increases from L2 to L1.

  When the drainage unit 34 executes the drainage process, the liquid amount control process returns to step S102. That is, the CPU 21 photographs the plant 2 in the state after draining with the camera 13a (step S102). Then, a drainage amount acquisition process is executed by analyzing the obtained captured image (step S103), and it is determined whether or not another drainage is necessary (step S104).

  For example, the CPU 21 acquires the captured image 30f illustrated in FIG. 10B by capturing the plant 2 in the state after drainage illustrated in FIG. 10A with the camera 13a. By lowering the position of the float 11 by drainage, the height of the plant 2 in the photographed image 30f becomes substantially the same as the height of the plant 2 in the photographed image 30d obtained at the start of the growth. In this manner, the liquid amount control device 20 controls the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 so that the height of the plant 2 in the captured image captured by the camera 13a is kept constant.

  In addition, after controlling the amount of the solution 3 by drainage, for example, when an appropriate amount of the solution 3 cannot be drained from the solution tank 10 by one drainage process, the drainage is necessary again in step S104. If it is determined, the drainage unit 34 executes the drainage process again (step S105).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S104 that drainage is not necessary (step S104; NO), the liquid level acquisition unit 36 acquires the current liquid level in the solution tank 10 by the liquid level meter 16. (Step S106). And based on the liquid level which the liquid level acquisition part 36 acquired, the liquid supply part 37 discriminate | determines whether a liquid supply is required (step S107). Since the processing of the liquid level acquisition unit 36 and the liquid supply unit 37 is the same as the processing described in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

Finally, when it is determined in step S107 that liquid supply is not necessary (step S107; NO), the liquid amount control process returns to step S100. That is, the CPU 21 waits until the next timing for measuring the elapsed time by the time measuring unit 24, photographing with the camera 13a , and controlling the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 comes. Thus, one cycle of the liquid amount control process in the second embodiment is completed. The liquid amount control device 20 adjusts the distance between the plant 2 and the light source 12 by repeating such processing and controlling the amount of the solution 3 in the solution tank 10.

  As described above, the plant growing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment is configured such that the plant growing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment photographs the plant 2 with the camera 13 installed above the plant 2, while the plant 2 The height of the plant 2 is acquired by photographing the plant 2 with the camera 13a installed on the side of the plant. And the solution 3 in the solution tank 10 is discharged | emitted based on the acquired height, and the distance of the light source 12 and the plant 2 is adjusted. Thereby, the plant growing apparatus 1a which concerns on Embodiment 2 can adjust the distance of the light source 12 and the plant 2 with a simple structure accurately by the method different from the plant growing apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1, and from the light source 12 The plant 2 can be grown while efficiently irradiating the plant 2 to be grown with the light.

(Modification)
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is an example, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the embodiments of the present invention can be applied in various ways, and all the embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

  For example, the plant growing device according to the present invention includes a camera 13 as a first photographing unit installed above the plant 2 to be grown, which the plant growing device 1 according to Embodiment 1 has, as a photographing unit, A camera 13a as a second imaging unit installed on the side of the plant 2 to be grown that the plant growing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment is equipped with, and any direction of the upper side and the side The plant 2 may also be photographed.

  In this case, the information acquisition unit 31 analyzes the first photographed image of the plant 2 obtained by photographing the camera 13 installed above as information indicating the growing state of the plant 2, thereby obtaining the first photographing. By analyzing the size of the plant 2 in the image and the second captured image of the plant 2 obtained by capturing with the camera 13a installed on the side, the height of the plant 2 in the second captured image is get. The drainage amount acquisition unit 32 acquires the amount of the solution 3 to be discharged from the solution tank 10 based on both the size and height of the plant 2. By photographing from two directions, upper and side, both the information on the distance from the light source 12 to the plant 2 and the information on the spread of the leaves of the plant 2 with respect to the light source 12 can be acquired. The position of the held plant 2 can be accurately adjusted so that the light from the light source 12 can be efficiently irradiated to the whole plant 2.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the information acquisition part 31 acquired the information which shows the growth state of the plant 2 by processing the picked-up image of the plant 2 obtained by imaging | photography of the camera 13 or the camera 13a. However, the plant growing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a photographing unit such as a camera, but includes a measuring unit that measures a distance by using an ultrasonic wave or a laser. Information indicating the growing state of the plant 2 may be acquired by measuring the distance.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the information acquisition part 31 acquired the size or height of the plant 2 in a picked-up image by analyzing the color distribution in the picked-up image obtained by the imaging | photography of the camera 13 or the camera 13a. However, in the present invention, the information acquisition unit 31 is not limited to the analysis of the color distribution. For example, the information acquisition unit 31 analyzes captured images of the plant 2 at a plurality of different time points obtained by capturing with the camera 13 or the camera 13a. A region that changes with time according to the growth of the plant 2 may be detected from among the regions, and the size or height of the plant 2 may be acquired from the detected region.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the plant 2 started growing from the state of the seedling immediately after germination. However, when a plant to be grown is grown from seeds, on / off of the light source 12 at the time of germination may be controlled depending on whether the seed to be grown is a light germination seed or a dark germination seed. For example, when the seed to be grown is a light germination seed, the light source 12 is turned on before germination, and light is emitted from the light source 12 toward the seed before germination. On the other hand, when the seed to be grown is a dark germination seed, the light source 12 is turned off at the start of the cultivation, and the light source 12 is turned on after a lapse of a specified period estimated to be necessary for germination. The light source 12 is controlled to start irradiating light. Thus, by controlling on / off of the light source 12 according to the kind of seed to be grown, the plant to be grown can be appropriately grown.
Light germinated seeds include lettuce, Japanese mustard spinach, strawberry, and pumpkin. Dark germinated seeds include tomato, peas, kidney beans, and corn.

  The amount of liquid provided in the plant growing device according to the present invention can be provided as a plant growing device provided with a configuration for realizing the function according to the present invention, as well as the existing information processing device or the like by application of the program. It can also function as a control device. That is, according to the present invention, a program for realizing each functional configuration by the liquid amount control device 20 exemplified in the above embodiment is applied so that a CPU or the like that controls an existing information processing device can be executed. It can be made to function as a liquid quantity control device provided in the plant growing device.

  Moreover, the application method of such a program is arbitrary. The program can be applied by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a flexible disk, a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) -ROM, or a memory card. Furthermore, the program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on a communication network and distributed. The program may be started and executed in the same manner as other application programs under the control of an OS (Operating System) so that the above-described processing can be executed.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof. Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.

(Appendix 1)
A liquid tank containing a liquid for growing plants;
A holder that floats in the liquid in the liquid tank and holds the plant;
A light source for irradiating light to the plant held by the holding body;
A photographing unit for photographing the plant;
An information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a growing state of the plant by performing image processing on a captured image of the plant obtained by imaging of the imaging unit;
Based on the information indicating the growing state of the plant acquired by the information acquisition unit, a drainage amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank;
A drainage unit that drains the amount of the liquid acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit from the liquid tank;
A plant growing apparatus comprising:

(Appendix 2)
The photographing unit is installed above the plant,
The information acquisition unit acquires the size of the plant in the photographed image of the plant obtained by photographing of the photographing unit as information indicating the growing state of the plant,
The drainage amount acquisition unit acquires a larger amount as the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank as the size of the plant acquired by the information acquisition unit increases.
The plant growing device according to supplementary note 1, wherein

(Appendix 3)
The drainage amount acquisition unit acquires the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank so that the size of the plant in the captured image of the plant obtained by imaging of the imaging unit is kept constant. ,
The plant growing device according to supplementary note 2, characterized by:

(Appendix 4)
The color of the surface of the holding body on which the photographing unit is installed is a color other than green,
The information acquisition unit acquires the size of the plant based on the color distribution in the captured image of the plant obtained by imaging of the imaging unit.
The plant growing device according to supplementary note 2 or 3, characterized in that.

(Appendix 5)
The photographing unit is installed on the side of the plant,
The information acquisition unit acquires the height of the plant from a photographed image of the plant obtained by photographing of the photographing unit as information indicating a growing state of the plant,
The drainage amount acquisition unit acquires a larger amount as the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank as the height of the plant acquired by the information acquisition unit increases.
The plant growing device according to supplementary note 1, wherein

(Appendix 6)
The drainage amount acquisition unit acquires the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank so that the height of the plant acquired by the information acquisition unit is kept constant.
The plant growing device according to appendix 5, wherein

(Appendix 7)
The photographing unit includes a first photographing unit that photographs the plant from above, and a second photographing unit that photographs the plant from the side,
The information acquisition unit uses the size of the plant in the first photographed image of the plant obtained by photographing of the first photographing unit as information indicating the growing state of the plant, as the information of the second photographing unit. Obtaining the height of the plant from the second photographed image of the plant obtained by photographing,
The drainage amount acquisition unit acquires the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank based on the size of the plant and the height of the plant acquired by the information acquisition unit.
The plant growing device according to supplementary note 1, wherein

(Appendix 8)
A liquid level acquisition unit for acquiring the liquid level of the liquid placed in the liquid tank;
When it is determined that the liquid in the liquid tank is insufficient based on the liquid level acquired by the liquid level acquisition unit, a liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid to the liquid tank;
The plant growing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, further comprising:

(Appendix 9)
Put the liquid to grow the plant in the liquid tank,
The holding body holding the plant is suspended in the liquid placed in the liquid tank,
Irradiating light from a light source to the plant held on the holding body,
Photographed the plant,
By processing the captured image of the photographed plant, information indicating the growing state of the plant is obtained,
Based on the acquired information indicating the growing state of the plant, obtain the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank,
Discharging the obtained amount of the liquid from the liquid tank;
A plant growing method characterized by that.

(Appendix 10)
On the computer,
It is held in a holding body floating in the liquid in a liquid tank in which a liquid for growing a plant is placed, and information indicating a growing state of the plant that is irradiated with light and photographed by a light source is acquired.
Based on the acquired information indicating the growing state of the plant, the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid tank is acquired,
Draining the obtained amount of the liquid from the liquid tank;
A program characterized by that.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a ... Plant growing apparatus, 2 ... Plant, 3 ... Solution, 4 ... Liquid surface, 5 ... Growing room, 6 ... Side wall, 10 ... Solution tank, 11 ... Float, 12 ... Light source, 13, 13a ... Camera, 14 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS Drainage drain, 15 ... Surplus solution container, 16 ... Liquid level meter, 17 ... Supply pump, 20 ... Liquid quantity control device, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... ROM, 23 ... RAM, 24 ... Timekeeping unit, 25 ... Memory , 26 ... input part, 27 ... output part, 28 ... communication part, 29 ... image processing part, 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, 30f ... photographed image, 31 ... information acquisition part, 32 ... drainage amount acquisition 34, drainage part, 36 ... liquid level acquisition part, 37 ... liquid supply part

Claims (14)

A photographing unit for photographing the plant which is held by a holding body floating in the liquid in a liquid tank in which a liquid for growing the plant is placed and irradiated with light from a light source ;
An information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a growing state of the plant by performing image processing on a captured image of the plant obtained by imaging of the imaging unit;
Based on the information indicating the development state of the plant by the information acquiring unit has acquired, and drained quantity acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath,
A drainage unit that drains the amount of the liquid acquired by the drainage amount acquisition unit from the liquid tank;
Equipped with a,
A plant growing apparatus characterized by that. The photographing unit is installed above the plant,
The information acquisition unit, as the information indicating the development state of the plant, to get the size of the plants in the captured image of the plant obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit,
The drainage quantity acquisition unit, as the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath, to obtain a more large amount the size of the plant by the information acquiring unit acquires increases,
Plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the this. The drainage quantity acquisition unit, as the size of the plants in the captured image of the plant obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit is kept constant, the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath To get the
Plant growing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the this. The color of the surface of the holding body on which the photographing unit is installed is a color other than green,
The information acquisition unit, based on the color distribution in the captured image of the plant obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit acquires the size of the plant,
Plant growing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized and this. The information acquisition unit acquires the size of the plant based on the captured images of the plant at a plurality of different time points obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit.
The plant growing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the plant growing device is characterized in that: The photographing unit is installed on the side of the plant,
The information acquisition unit, as the information indicating the development state of the plant, to obtain the height from the captured image the plants of the plant obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit,
The drainage quantity acquisition unit, as the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath, to obtain a more large amount the height of the plant by the information acquiring unit acquires increases,
Plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the this. The drainage quantity acquisition unit, as the height of the plant by the information acquiring unit acquires is kept constant, to obtain an amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath,
Plant growing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the this. The color of the surface of the side wall on the opposite side across the plant relative to the side of the plant where the photographing unit is installed is a color other than green,
The information acquisition unit acquires the height of the plant based on a color distribution in the captured image of the plant obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit.
The plant growing device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that. A screen is installed between the side wall on the opposite side of the plant with respect to the side of the plant on which the photographing unit is installed and the plant, and the color of the surface of the screen is a color other than green. Yes,
The information acquisition unit acquires the height of the plant based on a color distribution in the captured image of the plant obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit.
The plant growing device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that. The information acquisition unit acquires the height of the plant based on the captured images of the plant at different time points obtained by the imaging of the imaging unit.
The plant growing device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein The photographing unit includes a first photographing unit that photographs the plant from above, and a second photographing unit that photographs the plant from the side,
The information acquisition unit, as the information indicating the development state of the plant, the size of the plants in the first captured image of the plants obtained by the photographing of the first imaging unit, said second imaging Obtaining the height of the plant from the second photographed image of the plant obtained by photographing the part,
The drainage quantity acquisition unit, based on said height of said plant and the size of the plant by the information acquiring unit has acquired, to acquire an amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath,
Plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the this. A liquid level acquisition unit for acquiring the liquid level of the liquid placed in the liquid tank;
When it is determined that the liquid in the liquid tank is insufficient based on the liquid level acquired by the liquid level acquisition unit, a liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid to the liquid tank;
Further comprising
Plant growing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in and this. Photographing the plant irradiated with light from a light source held by a holding body floating in the liquid in a liquid tank containing a liquid for growing the plant,
By image processing the captured image captured said plant to obtain information indicating a growing condition of the plants,
Based on the obtained said information indicating the breeding condition of the plants, to get the amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath,
Discharging the obtained amount of the liquid from the liquid tank;
Including that,
Plant growth wherein a call. In a computer of a plant growing device comprising a photographing unit and a drainage unit ,
Ability to the plant which is irradiated with light by the light source held by the holding member suspended in the liquid in the liquid bath liquid was placed for growing plants Ru is photographed on the photographing unit,
Wherein the captured images of the plants were taken to be image processing to imaging unit, Ru to acquire information indicating the development state of the plant function,
Based on the information indicating the development state of were acquired the plant, Ru to acquire an amount of the liquid to be discharged from the liquid bath function,
A function of discharging the obtained amount of the liquid from the liquid tank to the drainage section ;
To realize,
A program characterized by that.

Images