JP7416416B2 - Hydroponic cultivation equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation apparatus that supplies liquid fertilizer to cultivated plants planted in a large number of cultivation containers arranged indoors such as a greenhouse.

Patent Document 1, which was filed by the applicant of the present application, proposes a hydroponic cultivation device that automatically supplies liquid fertilizer to cultivated plants planted in a large number of cultivation containers at the same time. In this hydroponic cultivation device, at least one of the containers during plant cultivation is used for measurement, and the decrease in weight of this container is treated as the decrease in liquid fertilizer, and when the decrease is below a threshold value, , liquid fertilizer is supplied to all containers in which plants are being cultivated, including those used for measurements.

Utility model registration No. 3225993

By the way, when a cultivated plant such as a tomato is subjected to fruit thinning, leaf scraping, etc., the weight of the container during plant cultivation becomes significantly lighter, but if this weight loss is treated as a decrease in liquid fertilizer. In this case, liquid fertilizer is supplied in excess before the timing when it should be supplied.
On the other hand, it is troublesome to reset the liquid fertilizer supply mode every time such weight reduction work is performed, which reduces the benefits of automation.

The present invention has been made by focusing on the above-mentioned conventional problems, and even if the weight of the container during plant cultivation is reduced by thinning the cultivated plants, removing leaves, etc., the correction function is still effective. To provide a hydroponic cultivation device that can continue to supply a necessary amount of liquid fertilizer at the timing when it should be supplied.

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and the invention of claim 1 includes a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a container in which a reference plant is being cultivated, and a container for said measurement. When the reduction from the appropriate weight is recognized based on the weight measured by the liquid fertilizer supply means that supplies liquid fertilizer to containers in which a large number of plants are being cultivated, and the weight measurement means, and the reduction falls below a threshold value. The controller includes a liquid supply execution unit that operates the liquid fertilizer supply means to supply liquid fertilizer to all the containers in which plants are being cultivated, including the container used for measurement, and the A hydroponic cultivation device that performs cultivation by supplying liquid fertilizer to cultivated plants planted in a container, the device comprising: a load sensor disposed near the reference container; and a load sensor included in the controller; detects a load, the load sensor includes a correction function unit that executes correction to update an appropriate weight, which is used as a guideline for supply timing of liquid fertilizer adopted by the controller, based on the weight measured by the weight measuring means; This hydroponic cultivation device is characterized in that when a person stands on the top of the plant and performs weight reduction work such as fruit thinning or leaf removal on the cultivated plants, the appropriate weight is updated after the work.

The invention according to claim 2 is the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, in which the correction function section detects that a person has stood on the load sensor, and when it is confirmed that the person has retreated, the controller The hydroponic cultivation apparatus is characterized in that it executes a correction that updates the appropriate weight to be adopted based on the weight measured by a weight measuring means.

The invention of claim 3 is the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hydroponic cultivation apparatus includes an abnormality notification section that notifies an abnormality when the load sensor detects a load for a certain period of time or more. It is.

The invention of claim 4 is the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which when the load sensor detects a load, the liquid supply execution section stops operating, and then there is a predetermined period of time during which no load is detected. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus is characterized in that the liquid supply execution section resumes operation after a period of time has elapsed.

The invention according to claim 5 is the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the load sensor is constituted by a mat sensor.

The invention according to claim 6 is the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 5, in which the mat sensor includes a pair of conductive sheets arranged vertically facing each other, and a plurality of mat sensors interposed between the pair of conductive sheets. Equipped with an elastically deformable insulating sheet with holes drilled in it, when a foot rests on one of the holes, the insulating sheet around the hole compresses, causing the upper conductive sheet covering the hole to compress. This is a hydroponic cultivation device characterized in that a load is detected by the sheet contacting and conducting with the lower conductive sheet.

According to the hydroponic cultivation apparatus of the present invention, even if the weight of the container during plant cultivation becomes lighter due to operations such as fruit thinning and leaf scraping on the cultivated plants, the correction function is activated and It is possible to continue supplying liquid fertilizer in the required amount at the right time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic plan view of a vinyl greenhouse showing the usage environment of a hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mat sensor visible in FIG. 1; 3 is an exploded perspective view of the mat sensor of FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mat sensor of FIG. 2; 5 is an explanatory diagram of a load detection mechanism by the mat sensor of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing a liquid fertilizer supply state before fruit thinning of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus equipped with the mat sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. It is an image diagram of the liquid fertilizer supply state after fruit thinning of the hydroponic cultivation device, related to FIG. 6 . 7 is an electrical configuration diagram of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is an illustrative graph of supply status transition in the liquid supply mode shown in FIG. 8. 9 is a flowchart of the operation of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus of FIG. 8 in a liquid supply mode. 9 is a flowchart of the operation of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus of FIG. 8 in an abnormality notification mode.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the hydroponic cultivation apparatus based on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to figures.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a greenhouse 1 for hydroponic cultivation of tomatoes. Inside the greenhouse 1, a plurality of beds 3, 3, . . . are arranged in a row to form a bed row 4. A pot 5 is arranged in each bed 3 as a cultivation container for hydroponic cultivation of tomatoes. These pots 5, 5,... are arranged in two rows. As shown in FIG. 6, the pot 5 contains a medium made of coconut fiber, and tomatoes 7 are planted in the medium.
The plurality of bed rows 4, 4, . . . have separate systems for each row, and fluid supply settings can be made individually. ,... are laid out in one-to-one correspondence. The mat sensor 9 is placed at a position where an operator stands when weight reduction work such as fruit thinning, leaf removal, etc. is performed on the tomatoes 7 cultivated in the corresponding bed row 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the entire mat sensor 9 has a rectangular thin sheet shape, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it has a multilayer structure. The lower surface protection sheet 11 and the upper surface protection sheet 13 are made of insulating rubber. The lower surface protection sheet 11 has a frame shape, and the inner side is lowered one step to become a storage part. The upper surface 13a of the upper surface protection sheet 13 has an uneven surface to prevent slipping.
A pair of aluminum conductive sheets 15, 15 are housed within the frame of the lower surface protection sheet 11, facing each other vertically. The conductive sheet 15 is in the form of a thin film, and can be deformed into depressions together with the rubber top protection sheet 13 located above.

Further, a relatively thick insulating sheet 17 is interposed between the pair of conductive sheets 15, 15. This insulating sheet 17 is made of elastically deformable sponge, and is provided with a large number of round holes 17a, 17a, . . . . As shown in FIG. 2, when a person steps on the mat sensor 9 and steps on the mat sensor 9, as shown in FIG. When the upper side receives the load shown by the arrow, the surrounding insulating sheet 17 is compressed, and the upper conductive sheet 15 covering the round hole 17a is depressed together with the upper protective sheet 13, and the lower conductive sheet 15 is compressed. The shoes are set based on the average shoe size of an adult woman of 23 cm, so that the shoes come into contact with the shoes.
Lead wires 19, 19 are connected to the conductive sheets 15, 15, respectively, and conduction occurs when the pair of conductive sheets 15, 15 come into contact. The lead wires 19, 19 are bundled together to form a cord 21, which is pulled out from the mat sensor 9. This cord 21 is connected to a controller 43 (described later).

The mat sensor 9 is thin so that it does not interfere with walking during work, and the worker can proceed with the work without being aware that he or she has stepped on the mat sensor 9. There is a human sensor that uses light to detect the presence of a worker, but since it needs to be placed close to the pot 5, there is a high possibility that it will be blocked by leaves etc. and cause a false detection. The mat sensor 9 is adopted as a sensor most suitable for the environment in which it is used. The overall size of the mat sensor 9 is necessary and sufficient to ensure that it is stepped on by a worker during weight reduction work.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, liquid fertilizer is supplied to the pots 5, 5, . . . through pipes 25, 25, . It is supposed to be done.
Reference numeral 27 indicates a hanging scale as a weight measuring means. This hanging scale 27 uses a Roberval type load cell 29 as a weight scale, and a hanging tool 33 is connected via an upper support frame 31, and a traction tool 37 is connected via a lower support frame 35. . As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of round bar-shaped reinforcing members 1a are horizontally suspended at predetermined intervals in the greenhouse 1, and a hanging device 33 is connected to the reinforcing members 1a to suspend the load cell 29. It is supported downward. Further, the traction tool 37 is adapted to pull the pot 5 in which tomatoes are being cultivated, which is used as a reference for measurement, via a rope 39. In this embodiment, one pot 5 is used for measurement, but it is also possible to measure the weight of two or three pots 5 and use the average value.

A repeater 41 is connected to the load cell 29 via a cable, from which a voltage signal is sent out as a weight measurement signal.
The controller 43 controls the entire hydroponic cultivation apparatus, and as shown in FIG. 8, the main controller is a microcomputer with two built-in timers, the mat sensor 9, the relay 41 of the load cell 29, and the liquid fertilizer supply device 23. The pump drive circuit 23a is electrically connected to the buzzer drive circuit 45 of the alarm buzzer (disposed in the controller 43). The microcomputer performs control based on a set program, and functionally constitutes a liquid supply execution section 47, a correction function section 49, and an abnormality notification section 51.

The liquid supply execution unit 47 relativeizes the weight measured by the load cell 29 to the appropriate weight (100%) to obtain a relative weight (%),
Appropriate weight (100%) - relative weight (%) = reduction (%)
is calculated, and when the decrease (%) becomes equal to or less than the threshold value (%), the pump drive circuit 23a of the liquid fertilizer supply device 23 is operated to execute liquid fertilizer supply, that is, liquid supply. The liquid supply targets include a large number of pots 5, 5, . . . included in the bed row 4, including the towed pot 5.
The appropriate weight is updated every day based on the maximum weight measured at the end of the previous day or at the beginning of the day, and will follow the weight of the pot 5 as it increases from flowering to fruit growth and just before harvest. As a result, the absolute value of the appropriate weight increases.
Therefore, as shown in [Liquid supply mode (no reduction work)] in Figure 9, on a daily basis, the timing of liquid fertilizer supply can be optimized to avoid water stress caused by delayed or early liquid supply. It's over. Also, on a weekly basis, the amount of liquid fertilizer supplied will increase as the fruit grows.

During cultivation, the fruit is thinned to distribute nutrients, and the leaves are raked to improve ventilation and expose the fruit. decreases. When such a reduction operation is carried out, if the amount of reduction is not taken into consideration, excess liquid will be supplied, so the correction function section 49 performs correction on the liquid supply execution section 47.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, when the liquid supply mode starts, the liquid supply execution unit 47 starts liquid supply as described above.
When the mat sensor 9 detects a load, the correction function unit 49 determines that a person has stepped on the mat sensor 9 for weight reduction work, and intervenes in the liquid supply execution unit 47 to supply liquid. Stop. When the mat sensor 9 is in a state where it does not detect the load, it is determined that the person has "retracted" from the mat sensor 9, and if the "retracted" state continues even after "30 seconds" have elapsed, the weight loss work is performed. When it is determined that the process has been completed, the liquid supply execution unit 47 intervenes and first measures the weight of the measuring pot 5 and updates the appropriate weight with that weight. Then, restart the fluid supply.

During the work, it is assumed that the worker may get off the mat sensor 9 and then get back on it, and that the worker's weight may be applied to the measurement pot 5 by grabbing a branch while getting off. be. Therefore, when the mat sensor 9 does not detect a load for 30 seconds, it is determined that the work is finished.
Since the appropriate weight is updated with the reduced weight after the weight loss work is completed, the amount of liquid fertilizer supplied is also reduced and the optimum amount after the weight loss work is supplied.
When changing from the state before fruit thinning shown in FIG. 6 to the state after fruit thinning shown in FIG. 7, this correction function section 49 works effectively. As shown in [Liquid supply mode (with reduction work)] in FIG. 9, after restarting liquid supply, the relative supply amount of liquid fertilizer does not change, but the absolute supply amount, that is, the actual supply amount changes.

However, the mat sensor 9 related to the correction function section 49 not only becomes conductive when stepped on by the worker, but also when the worker carries out work while placing thinned fruit on the work trolley. It conducts even when
If conduction occurs, fluid supply will be stopped, so if you stop work midway due to fatigue and leave the work trolley as it is, if the interruption becomes longer, water stress due to the stoppage of fluid supply may occur. It becomes stronger.
In this case, since the existence of the correction function section 49 has an adverse effect, an abnormality notification section 51 is also provided.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, the abnormality notification unit 51 starts the abnormality notification mode in parallel with the start of the liquid supply mode.
When the mat sensor 9 detects a load, the abnormality notification unit 51 determines that something, including a person, has "stood" on it. Although the signals are the same, the correction function unit 49 determines that it has been stepped on, and the abnormality notification unit 51 logically distinguishes it from the fact that something, including the person who has stepped on it, has “stepped on it”. . If the "riding" state continues even after "10 minutes" have elapsed, it is determined that the "riding" was not a "stepping on" state for weight loss work, and the buzzer drive circuit 45 of the alarm buzzer drive to sound the alarm buzzer. When the mat sensor 9 is in a state where it does not detect a load, the mat sensor 9 determines that something obstructing the detection of the weight reduction work, such as a work trolley, has "retracted" and stops sounding the alarm buzzer.
Considering the time during which the worker continues to step on the mat sensor 9 for weight loss work, the standby time is set to "10 minutes" so that the alarm buzzer does not sound during the weight loss work.

As described above, by providing the correction function unit 49 and the abnormality notification unit 51, this hydroponic cultivation device has a self-correction function even when weight loss operations such as fruit thinning and leaf removal are actually performed. The liquid is supplied as needed, when and in the amount necessary, as before the operation.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to each of the above embodiments, and the design may be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Included in invention.
For example, when pots 5, 5, . . . are arranged in one row, the reduction work is often performed from both sides of the bed row 4. In such a case, it is recommended that the mat sensor 9 be arranged so as to pass through the underside of the bed row 4 and be exposed on both sides of the bed row 4. With this arrangement, the mat sensor 9 can detect whether the worker is standing on either side and carrying out the weight loss work.
Further, in the above embodiment, the "time" such as the duration of the "retracted" state after "retracted" from the mat sensor 9 or the duration of the "riding" state on the mat sensor 9 is specified by a number. However, these are just examples, and the "time" can also be set arbitrarily.

1... Plastic greenhouse 1a... Reinforcement material 3... Bed 4... Bed row 5... Pot 7... Tomato 9... Mat sensor 11... Lower surface protective sheet 13... Upper surface protective sheet 13a... Upper surface 15... Conductive sheet 17... Insulating sheet 17a... Round hole 19... Lead wire 21... Cord 23... Liquid fertilizer supply device 23a... Pump drive circuit 25... Pipe 27... Hanging scale 29... Load cell 31... Upper support frame 33... Hanging tool 35... Lower support frame 37... Traction tool 39 ...Rope 41...Relay device 43...Controller 45...Buzzer drive circuit 47...Liquid supply execution section 49...Correction function section 51...Abnormality alarm section

Claims (6)

A weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a container in which plants are being cultivated as a reference; a liquid fertilizer supplying means for supplying liquid fertilizer to a large number of containers in which plants are being cultivated, including the measuring container; The amount of decrease from the appropriate weight is recognized based on the weight measured, and when the amount of decrease falls below the threshold value, the liquid fertilizer supply means is activated to remove all plants during cultivation, including the containers used for measurement. a controller including a liquid supply execution unit that supplies liquid fertilizer to the container;
A hydroponic cultivation device that performs cultivation by supplying liquid fertilizer to cultivated plants planted in a large number of cultivation containers arranged indoors,
A load sensor disposed near the reference container and the controller are included, and when the load sensor detects a load, the controller measures an appropriate weight to be used as a guideline for supply timing of liquid fertilizer. comprising a correction function unit that executes correction to update based on the weight measured by the means,
A hydroponic cultivation apparatus characterized in that when a person stands on the load sensor and performs a weight reduction operation such as fruit thinning or leaf removal on a cultivated plant, the appropriate weight is updated after the operation. In the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 1,
The correction function section detects that a person has stood on the load sensor, and when it is confirmed that the person has moved back, updates the appropriate weight adopted by the controller based on the weight measured by the weight measuring means. A hydroponic cultivation device characterized by performing correction. In the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A hydroponic cultivation device characterized by comprising an abnormality notification section that reports an abnormality when a load sensor detects a load for a certain period of time or more. The hydroponic cultivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A hydroponic cultivation apparatus characterized in that when a load sensor detects a load, a liquid supply execution unit stops operating, and when a predetermined period of time without detecting a load has passed, the liquid supply execution unit resumes operation. The hydroponic cultivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A hydroponic cultivation device characterized in that a load sensor is composed of a mat sensor. In the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 5,
The mat sensor includes a pair of conductive sheets arranged vertically opposite to each other, and an elastically deformable insulating sheet with a large number of holes interposed between the pair of conductive sheets. When a foot steps on a hole, the insulating sheet around the hole compresses, and the upper conductive sheet covering the hole contacts and conducts with the lower conductive sheet, thereby detecting the load. A hydroponic cultivation device featuring:

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