JPH11178445A - Paddy rice growth monitor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the subject monitor, which saves the producer's working time for growing paddy rice by providing, e.g. a remote monitor and device for automatically predicting its growth conditions. SOLUTION: This monitor is equipped with a camera 01 which takes photographs of paddy rice 10, transmitter 02 which transmits input image data taken by the camera 01, receiver 08 which receives the image data from the transmitter 02, and display 04 which displays the image data. The growth conditions can be automatically monitored by adding a photographing control device which controls, e.g. shutter speed for the camera 01 and processor which processes the input image data to predict growth conditions of paddy rice 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for judging the state of growth of paddy rice in growing paddy rice in paddy fields.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a producer goes to a field every day to judge the growing condition of paddy rice, and performs water supply and drainage as necessary by checking the water level of the paddy field.

As another prior art, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-116807, water temperature and water level are measured, and when the water temperature falls below a certain value and the water level is below a certain value, water is automatically supplied, and the water level is high. An automatic irrigation device is shown which is in a state, i.e. in deep water. In a cold region, since the water temperature is usually higher than that of cold outside air by making the water deep, it is possible to prevent cold damage.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned prior art, it is sometimes difficult to go to a paddy field every day, for example, when the producer is a part-time farmer. In recent years, as paddy fields have become larger,
Daily inspections are a burden on producers, because the farmers' homes and paddy fields are often farther apart.

[0005] On the other hand, large-sized compartments have been developed and mechanized, and water supply and drainage to the field has been automated as in the above-mentioned conventional technology. However, since it is necessary to change the water level according to the growth situation, the producer must look around the field to monitor the rice, and the automation of water supply and drainage alone does not reduce the burden on the producer much.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a device for monitoring rice from a remote location, thereby reducing the burden on the producer and simplifying the device for grasping the growth status of the rice. It is intended to be realized at low cost.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, paddy rice is photographed by a photographing device such as a CCD camera, and the photographed image is transmitted and displayed on a display device such as a television in a residence of a producer. I did it.

[0008] The present invention is an apparatus for automatically judging the growing condition of paddy rice by subjecting an input image of a photographing device to image processing by a processing device.

[0009] The processing device extracts the color of the leaves and stems of the rice from the input image from the imaging device, and calculates the height and the leaf area of the rice to determine the growth state.

A paddy field is affected by environmental conditions such as the weather and the position of the sun, so that the same color may result in a different input image. In order to reduce the influence of this environment, change the iris and shutter speed of the shooting device,
A control device of the photographing device for correcting the input image is provided.

A large paddy field is defined as a set of rectangular fields having a substantially uniform area. Only a representative field among the plurality of fields in the large paddy field was photographed by the photographing device, and the growth state of the other fields was estimated based on the photographed growth state of the field.

Further, in a large-area paddy field, water is supplied from one side of a rectangular field and drained from a side opposite to the side. The photographing devices were arranged on the water supply side and the drainage side, respectively, to estimate the growth.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a detailed description of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of the present invention. The basic configuration consists of an imaging device 01, a transmission device 02, a reception device 0
3. It consists of a display device 04. The photographing device 01 is for photographing the growing condition of the rice paddy 01, and is preferably a device capable of color photographing such as a color CCD in order to obtain color information necessary for recognizing the growing condition. The growth of rice 10 is slow.
Since it is sufficient to understand the information on a daily basis, the input image of the photographing device 01 does not need to be a moving image, but may be a still image. The input image is sent from the transmission device 02 to the reception device 03 and displayed on the display device 04. The photographing device 01 and the transmission device 02 are installed in a field, and the receiving device 03 and the display device 04 are installed in a place where the producer can easily see, for example, a residence of the producer. The type of transmission system between the transmission device 02 and the reception device 03 includes a public line, wireless communication, and the like, which is determined by the distance between the transmission side and the reception side, the ease of arrival of radio waves in the area, and the like. Transmission means 1
It is sufficient if the environment can send a still image once a day. For example, if the distance between the transmitting side and the receiving side is a distance where wireless use is possible, wireless is used. Further, a wired line such as a public line may be used. Even when using a public line, if it is an area where a mobile phone such as a mobile phone or PHS can be used, a wireless phone can be installed easily without having to connect a phone line to a field, and communication once a day is sufficient. Therefore, the cost can be reduced. It is desirable that the photographing apparatus 01 photograph the paddy rice 10 every day at the same time when the position of the sun is almost the same. This is to prevent the position where the light shines on the paddy rice 10 depending on the position of the sun, thereby preventing the color state of the paddy rice 10 from changing and photographing.

By using the above apparatus, the producer can
From the image of the paddy rice displayed on the display device 04, the growing condition of the rice can be known. The height, the number of leaves, the colors of leaves and stems, and the like of paddy rice vary depending on the growing season. The state can be determined only by looking at the display 04 without going to the field. In addition to the equipment shown in Fig. 1, the scale for measuring the height of the rice and the color samples for measuring the growth of the rice are photographed at the same time as the rice, and compared with the rice, the producer can determine the growth status and disease. You can objectively know the condition of paddy rice.

What has been described above is an apparatus for allowing a producer to monitor the growth status of paddy rice in a remote place. By adding a processing device to this apparatus, the growth state can be automatically determined. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a rice growth estimation apparatus. It comprises an imaging device 01, an imaging device control device 05, a transmission device 02, a reception device 03, a processing device 06, and a display device 04. The photographing device control device 05 controls the photographing device 01, and controls the shutter speed, iris, and the like of the photographing device 01 to change as necessary. If the overall brightness is not enough,
By slowing down the shutter speed or widening the iris, you can shoot as if it were a bright scene. Conversely, when the sun is over, the shutter speed is increased, the iris is reduced, and the brightness of the input image is kept constant. Further, since there is irregular reflection of light due to water droplets in rainy weather, an image from which irregular reflection has been removed is input by applying a polarizing filter. By performing the above-described control by the control device 05, it is possible to obtain an input image that is not affected by environmental changes such as weather as much as possible. Hereinafter, the imaging device 01, the imaging device control device 05,
The part of the transmission device 02 installed in the field is generally monitored by the monitoring device 07.
Call.

The processing device 06 extracts the portion of the paddy rice 10 from the transmitted image data, and recognizes the height, the number of leaves, and the color of the paddy rice 10. If the rice varieties are known, the approximate growth period can be estimated from the length and number of leaves. The color of the paddy rice 10 gradually becomes greener as it grows, and turns yellow when the ears grow. Also, the number of leaves increases at the beginning,
The number will not increase at a certain time. By storing such an appearance pattern characterizing the growth period in the processing device 06 in advance, the growing period is detected by comparing actual rice 10 with the stored contents. The method of detecting the number of leaves from an image includes a method of counting the number of leaves by pattern recognition of leaves one by one by edge extraction, and a method of extracting an area of a color portion of a leaf to obtain a ratio to the entire image, There is a method of estimating.

If there is any abnormality such as withering during the growth of the paddy rice, the color of the leaves and stems changes, so that the abnormality can be recognized. These estimated growth periods and abnormalities can be displayed on the display device 04 to inform the producer. The amount of irrigation water supplied to paddy fields varies depending on the growing season, and when cold damage occurs, it is necessary to adopt a special irrigation method such as deep water management depending on the growing season.
In general, the growth status of paddy rice was measured visually by the producer in the field or predicted from weather conditions such as temperature.
In addition to this, by recognizing the growth status from the image, the working time can be reduced more reliably. In addition to the display on the display device 04, the growing period of the paddy rice, which is the processing result of the processing device 06, can be used as an input value of the automatic irrigation system that has been studied in recent years. By using an automatic irrigation system, the water level can be automatically set according to the growing season, temperature, etc., and the water supply and drainage can be performed without the producer having to set the water level. it can.

In recent years, labor saving of rice cultivation and part-time work of farmers have progressed, and paddy fields have been improved and rationalized as large-area paddy fields. In large-area paddy fields, one field is a group of fields having a scale of about 1 ha and 2 to 30 fields having almost the same shape. Therefore, in a large paddy field, it can be considered that the temperature, the direction of the wind, and the intensity of the wind are almost equal unless there is a special location condition. The growth of rice in each field in a large paddy field is unlikely to differ if the varieties of the rice are the same. Therefore, the photographing device 01 is not attached to all the fields, but is attached to one or more representative fields, and the other fields estimate the growth state by analogy with the input image of the photographing device 01. If the varieties are the same and the transplant dates are the same, the growth situation is considered to be the same. Due to restrictions such as water distribution and the order of using rice transplanters, transplant dates may be different. Therefore, the difference between the field where the imaging device 01 is installed and the transplant date is determined, and the growth status is statistically estimated.

The growth rate of the paddy rice on one measurement day is determined by

[0021]

(Equation 1)

In other words, the growth status on the i-th measurement day from the transplant date is

[0023]

(Equation 2)

## EQU2 ## The field A is a field where the monitoring device 07 is installed. V (i) in (Equation 2) is obtained from the growth situation estimated by the processing device 06 from the data of the monitoring device. If the same variety and the same weather conditions, the growth rate of the same day is the same even if the transplant date is different.

[0025]

(Equation 3)

The growth status of the rice at different transplant dates is
Can be estimated.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the growth monitoring device 07 is installed in a large paddy field. The large paddy field 20 is a collection of fields 21 separated by a furrow 23, and a water supply channel 22 and a drainage channel 23 pass along the furrow 23 in the form of a water pipe or a ditch. It is assumed that all fields have the same shape and area and the same breeding variety. If the varieties are the same, the growth rate of paddy rice depends mainly on temperature, sunshine hours, water temperature, wind speed, etc., but within a large paddy field 20, as described above, these meteorological conditions So that the growth rate is also equal. Therefore, it is not necessary to attach the monitoring device 07 to all the fields, and the photographing device 01, the control device 05, and the transmission device 02 are attached to at least one field 21, and other growing conditions in the field to which the photographing device 01 is attached are used. Estimate the growth status of the field. The field where the photographing device 01 or the like is to be installed is selected in a location where conditions are good, such as appropriate soil for mounting the device and easy installation of necessary equipment such as a power supply and a telephone line.

In the above, an example has been described in which the breeding varieties in the large paddy field are all the same. However, paddy rice can be broadly classified into three types depending on its growth rate: early rice, middle rice, and late rice. Even if the varieties in one large paddy field are not all the same,
For example, if all varieties are late rice, it can be assumed that the growth rates are the same, and it can be estimated in the same manner as above. Also, for example, Waseda,
When varieties such as late rice are mixed, the monitoring device 07 is installed in at least one of the fields of the early rice field and at least one of the fields of the late rice, and the growth of other fields is similarly estimated. As described above, the monitoring device 07 is set only in a representative field using the characteristics of the large-area paddy field, so that the cost can be reduced.

Next, in a paddy field where one field is large, such as a large paddy field, there is a distance between the water supply side and the drainage side, and the flow of water takes a long time, so a method for detecting a difference in growth rate will be described. When water is supplied during the day, cold water that has just flowed out of the water supply channel hits the rice on the water supply side, so the growth is relatively slow.When the water reaches the drainage side, warm outside air and sunlight are exposed. Because the water is warmed, the drainage side grows faster than the water supply side. Conversely, when water is supplied at night, water warmed during the day comes out of the water supply channel and flows to the drainage side while hitting the cool outside air. Growth is faster on the water supply side than on the drainage side. As described above, there is a difference in growth in one field due to a difference in water temperature.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration for detecting a difference in growth status in one field. In the field 21, it is assumed that a water supply channel 22, a drainage channel 23, a water supply port 30, and a drainage port 31 are arranged. Usually, the water supply channel 22 and the drainage channel 23 are arranged on opposite sides of the field 21. One set of the growth monitoring devices 07 is provided on the water supply side and one set of the growth monitoring device 07 is provided on the drainage side, and the growth status of each side is grasped. I do. With such an arrangement, the growth can be determined from the image information of the point where the water temperature becomes the lowest and the highest, and the early detection of the cold damage and the high temperature damage is possible. In the case of a large-compartment paddy field, by arranging the monitoring devices 07 on both sides of the water supply and drainage only in a representative field, it is possible to estimate the growth status of other fields. There is also a method of placing monitoring devices 07 on both sides of the water supply and drainage, while placing the monitoring devices 07 at an intermediate point between the water supply side and the drainage side so that the growth situation at the intermediate point can be regarded as an average growth situation. There is an advantage that the cost is low because only a set of monitoring devices 07 is required. Other monitoring devices
Set 071 at either the water supply or drainage side and install equipment to measure the water level, water temperature, soil temperature, air temperature, and solar radiation in the field. Based on these data, determine how much water is supplied before it reaches the drainage side. Since it is possible to estimate whether the water is warmed or cooled, it is also possible to statistically determine the difference in the growth rate of the rice 10 based on the water temperature difference. Also in this case, only one monitoring device 07 is required.

The result of estimating the growth status from the image obtained by the monitoring device 07 as described above is used as an input to a system for automatically adjusting the water level of the field 21 such as the automatic irrigation equipment described in the related art. Can also be used. Since the appropriate water level of paddy rice varies depending on the growing season, information on the growing season is required to set the water level for automatic irrigation. In this way, by combining the growth monitoring device and the automatic irrigation device,
Since the irrigation operation can be automated, the operation time can be reduced.

[0032]

By adopting the above-described embodiment, the producer can know the condition of the paddy rice even in a remote place from the paddy field, so it is necessary to frequently go to the paddy field. It is no longer possible and the working time can be reduced.

A processing device for performing image recognition processing is provided based on the input image from the photographing device so as to recognize the amount and height of the leaves of the paddy rice. Therefore, it is possible to automatically estimate the growth status of the paddy rice. It is also possible to automatically determine abnormalities such as diseases and poor growth by monitoring changes in leaf color. Thereby, even if the producer does not monitor every day, the working condition can be further reduced by recognizing the growth status and notifying the producer only when necessary such as when there is an abnormality. In recent years, facilities have been developed to automate irrigation work by installing water level gauges and automatic water supply and drainage devices.
Since the water level in the paddy field varies depending on the growing season of rice, automatic irrigation requires a means to measure the growing season. The growth status obtained by the present invention can be used as input to the automatic irrigation equipment together with the water level data for each growing season that varies depending on the type of rice and the climate.

Since the photographing device described above is installed outdoors for photographing rice in a paddy field, a control device for controlling the iris and shutter speed of the photographing device and correcting the image after photographing is provided. I made it. This makes it less susceptible to changes in the way light hits due to weather, etc., allowing more accurate recognition.

In a large paddy field, each field is evenly maintained, and weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and the like which affect the growth of rice are in the same area. Therefore, it is presumed that the imaging devices are not installed in all the fields of the large paddy field, but are installed only in the representative fields, and the growth conditions in the other fields are almost the same. As a result, the number of photographing devices can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Many large-scale paddy fields have a size of about 1 ha in each field, and the distance between the water supply side and the drainage side is large. Therefore, a difference in water temperature occurs between the water supply facility side and the drainage facility side, so that the growth rate also differs. In order to grasp the growth situation of the whole field, the photographing devices are arranged on the water supply side and the drainage side, respectively, so that the difference in growth speed can be grasped, and the growth situation can be grasped more accurately. Was.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a rice growth monitoring apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a rice growth estimation apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an application example of the present invention in a large-area paddy field.

FIG. 4 is an application example of the present invention in a large field.

[Explanation of symbols]

01: photographing device, 02: transmitting device, 03: receiving device, 04: display device, 05: photographing device control device, 06: processing device, 20
… Large paddy field, 21… Field, 22… Water supply channel, 23… Drainage channel, 30… Water inlet, 31… Drain outlet.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Fujii 1099 Ozenji Temple, Aso-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] An apparatus for monitoring the growth of paddy rice, comprising: a photographing device for photographing rice in a paddy field; a device for transmitting the photographed image; a receiving device for receiving the transmitted image; and a display device for displaying the image. . 2. A photographing device for photographing rice in a paddy field, a control device for controlling the photographing device, a device for transmitting a photographed image, a receiving device for receiving the transmitted image, and image processing for the received image. An apparatus for estimating the growth of paddy rice, comprising a processing apparatus for estimating the growth status of rice. 3. The apparatus for estimating the growth of rice plant according to claim 2,
A method for estimating the growth of a paddy rice, comprising extracting a color portion of the rice from a photographed image and estimating a height and a leaf area of the rice to estimate a growth state of the rice. 4. A rice plant according to claim 1, further comprising photographing device control means for controlling the photographing device in accordance with environmental conditions so that a photographed image of the photographing device can always be inputted under the same conditions. Growth monitoring device. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the photographing device is attached to only one or more fields in the large paddy field, and the growing condition of the other field is estimated from the growing condition of the field where the photographing device is installed. Estimation method of rice growth. 6. A method for estimating growth of a rice plant according to claim 1, wherein photographing devices are attached to a water supply device side and a drainage device side of one field of a large paddy field, respectively, and differences in growth status are compared.