KR102627122B1 - Control system of module for water culture - Google Patents

Abstract

The hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention performs temperature control in two ways, direct control and indirect control, thereby minimizing the temperature gradient or the time for the temperature gradient to be normalized, allowing large-scale cultivation closer to the optimal growth conditions of crops. You can build an environment.
Accordingly, the hydroponic cultivation module control system according to one aspect of the present invention is blocked from the external atmosphere and external light to separately control internal growth conditions, according to a sensor unit that detects the internal environmental conditions and a detection value of the sensor unit. It includes a control unit that controls a target device, the target device includes a light source, and the control unit can control the light source to indirectly control the internal temperature.

Description

Hydroponic cultivation module control system {CONTROL SYSTEM OF MODULE FOR WATER CULTURE}

The present invention relates to a control system, and more specifically, to a hydroponic cultivation module control system that breaks away from conventional small plant factories and implements large-capacity, high-efficiency plant factories that replace farms.

A plant factory is a technology that produces plants in a closed space with a controlled internal environment, and can be said to be an environment-preserving production system aimed at providing safe food and cutting materials.

In theory, these plant factories have stable supply, are not affected by weather fluctuations such as freezing or disturbance, typhoons, are not damaged by pathogens or pests, and have a certain amount, certain shape or taste, nutritional value, etc. And the ability to supply crops at stable prices is mentioned as an advantage. In addition, because plant factories have high stability and no invasion of pathogens or pests, there is no need to spray pesticides for their prevention or extermination, and safe production without pesticides is expected to be possible.

However, plant factories developed to date are still in their early stages. In other words, controlling the closed environment of a plant factory requires very detailed control, and in addition, a plan to lower production costs is needed. However, as in the prior art literature, it is difficult to abstractly control the environment for the structure of the plant factory and crop cultivation. Only the content is being disclosed.

[Prior art literature] Patent document Korean Patent No. 10-2128166 (June 23, 2020) Plant cultivation system

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hydroponic cultivation module control system that can maximize production by precisely controlling environmental conditions in a hydroponic modular plant factory.

Additionally, the present invention provides a hydroponic cultivation module control system that directly controls target environmental conditions or indirectly controls target environmental conditions by controlling other environmental conditions.

The hydroponic cultivation module control system according to one aspect of the present invention is blocked from the external atmosphere and external light to separately control internal growth conditions, including a sensor unit that detects the internal environmental conditions, and a target device according to the detection value of the sensor unit. and a control unit that controls, wherein the target device includes a light source, and the control unit may indirectly control the internal temperature by controlling the light source.

At this time, the control unit may turn on the light source when it is night time outside, and turn off the light source when it is day time outside.

In addition, the target device further includes an air conditioner, and the control unit performs direct temperature control for controlling the air conditioner to reach a set temperature or indirect control for controlling the temperature according to turn-on or turn-off of the light source. When this is turned on, the temperature rise caused by the air conditioner can be suppressed.

Additionally, when the light source is turned on and a set time has elapsed, the control unit can control the air conditioner to lower the temperature for the set time.

In addition, the target device further includes a water pump, the sensor unit further includes a water flow detection sensor that detects the supply of water, and the control unit controls the light source to turn off when it is determined that the supply of water is stopped. You can.

Additionally, the control unit may stop the operation of the water pump when it is determined that the supply of water has been stopped and the light source is turned off.

In addition, the control unit turns off the light source for 6 to 10 hours before and after the time with the highest external temperature, taking into account the change in day length or night length, or turns on the light source for 6 to 10 hours before and after the time with the lowest external temperature. can be controlled to turn on.

Additionally, the controller may control the amount of increase in light irradiation to decrease or increase before turning off or on the light source.

In addition, the target device further includes a dehumidifying unit or a CO2 supply unit, and the control unit may modify the target temperature by including the operation of the dehumidifying unit or the supply of CO2 when controlling the temperature.

The present invention performs temperature control in two ways, direct control and indirect control, thereby minimizing the internal temperature gradient or the time for the temperature to normalize after the temperature gradient, thereby creating a cultivation environment closer to the optimal growth conditions of crops. .

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the sensor unit of FIG. 1 in more detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the control unit of FIG. 1 in more detail.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the target device of FIG. 1 in more detail.
Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice it. Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be described in detail by illustrating them in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term and/or includes any of a plurality of related stated items or a combination of a plurality of related stated items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

Hereinafter, the control system 1000 of the hydroponic cultivation module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram showing the sensor unit of Figure 1 in more detail, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the control unit of Figure 1 in more detail. , FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the target device of FIG. 1 in more detail.

Referring to Figure 1, the hydroponic cultivation module control system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention is blocked from the external atmosphere and external light and separately and independently controls the internal crop growth conditions. It mainly consists of a sensor unit 100 and a control unit. It includes (200), a target device (300), a cultivation module (400), and a server (500).

Referring to FIG. 2, the sensor unit 100 detects the internal environmental conditions in more detail, including a temperature sensor 110 that detects the internal temperature, a humidity sensor 120 that detects the internal humidity, and an internal CO2 sensor. It includes a CO2 sensor 130 that measures the concentration, and as shown, a pH sensor 140 that measures the pH of the nutrient solution, and an EC sensor 150 that measures the electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution. It can be included.

At this time, it is preferable that the above-mentioned temperature sensor 110, humidity sensor 120, and CO2 sensor 130 are placed in an internal gas atmosphere, and a plurality of them are placed in each zone to obtain an average value. This is because a temperature gradient may occur even when dividing the internal space using a large-area container.

In addition, the pH sensor 140 and the EC sensor 150 are preferably installed in the movement path of the nutrient solution, and are installed in places where the nutrient solution is relatively concentrated, such as an irrigation tank (reference numeral 355 in FIG. 5, hereinafter the same), which will be described later. It is desirable.

In addition, the hydroponic cultivation module control system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the sensor unit 100 further includes a water flow detection sensor 160. The water flow sensor 160, also called a flowmeter, measures the ratio of volume, mass, or weight of fluid passing through a cross section of a certain area per hour.

The water flow detection sensor 160 measures the flow rate by installing a tightening device (generic term for orifice, nozzle, venturi pipe, etc.) in the pipe and measuring the differential pressure (P1-P2) generated before and after it depending on the size of the flow rate, or It consists of a straight pipe with an open tapered pipe or compression mechanism and a float (moving part) that can move freely up and down inside it. When fluid flows in from below through the flow meter, differential pressure is generated by the float, and the float rises due to the differential pressure. The flow rate is measured by measuring the position of the float through the proportional relationship between the cross-sectional area of the pipe and the flow rate, which is determined according to the rising height.

However, one feature of the hydroponic cultivation module control system 1000 according to this embodiment is that it includes the presence or absence of light emission from the light source or the amount of light irradiation as a variable for controlling the temperature, and furthermore, it includes the water flow detected by the water flow detection sensor 160. The presence or absence is also included as a variable when controlling temperature. Therefore, whether or not water flow is recognized becomes a very important control factor. Accordingly, the correlation between temperature control and water flow will be explained in more detail later.

Meanwhile, the control unit 200 controls the target device 300 according to the detection value of the sensor unit 100 to optimize internal environmental conditions. In this case, the control unit 200 in the hydroponic cultivation module control system 1000 according to this embodiment consists of a direct control module 210 and an indirect control module 220. In other words, controlling environmental conditions in a plant factory is a very important factor in controlling the temperature/humidity/CO2 concentration of the internal atmosphere, the amount of light, the pH of the nutrient solution, and the EC of the nutrient solution. Here, temperature control is performed using the direct target device 400. There is a problem in that the deviation in temperature control becomes very severe only by controlling the air conditioner 310.

That is, the target device 300 for controlling internal environmental conditions includes an air conditioner 410, a light source 320, a dehumidifier 330, a CO2 valve 340, and a doser 350, as shown in FIG. , and a water pump 360. The direct control module 210 controls the dual air conditioner 310 to lower the temperature or, conversely, directly increase the temperature.

However, it will be obvious that for proper growth of crops, other target devices must also be controlled in terms of temperature. Many plant factories that have appeared to date omit the concept of indirect control of temperature.

Therefore, the hydroponic cultivation module control system 1000 according to this embodiment not only directly controls the temperature through the air conditioner 310 so that the indirect control module 220 indirectly controls the temperature, but also uses the light source 320, etc. among the target devices 300. further control.

At this time, the light source 320 may use LED lighting, and it is preferable to use a mixture of normal white light and red light to supplement the red light, which is a wavelength peak lacking in normal white light. In addition, at this time, white light is initially emitted using a blue-based bare chip, and when the light is excited by the phosphor and expresses white, the blue wavelength peak is highlighted and can be used to supplement the blue-based light required for photosynthesis. , if the wavelength peak of the bare chip itself is light distant from the blue series, it is also desirable to add another LED that separately emits blue light. Accordingly, the growth rate can be increased by allowing the chlorophyll of crops to mainly absorb blue-violet light (430-460 nm) and red light (630-680 nm).

In addition, it is preferable that the light emitted from the light source 320 related to such growth is continuously emitted (turned on) or turned off for a predetermined period of time. However, when the light source 320 is turned on, it also performs the role of a heater. Furthermore, if it is day time outside, the additional temperature increase caused by the light source is added to the relatively high daytime temperature. If the temperature is lowered by separately controlling the air conditioner, the production cost increases significantly. In addition, even when it is night time outside, if the light source is turned off, the production cost increases significantly even if relatively cold outside air is introduced and the temperature is additionally raised.

Therefore, when it is daytime outside, it is desirable to turn off the light source to induce respiration, which is a resting period of the plant, and when it is nighttime outside, it is desirable to turn on the light source to induce photosynthesis and growth of the plant. Therefore, the hydroponic cultivation module control system according to this embodiment basically controls the light source by switching between day and night.

In more detail, the control unit 200 takes into account the change in day length or night length and turns off the light source for 6 to 10 hours before and after the time when the external temperature is the highest, or turns off the light source for 6 to 10 hours before and after the time when the external temperature is lowest. By controlling the light source to turn on during the time, light output can be controlled in response to changes in seasonal or annual day length.

Additionally, the control unit 200 may control the amount of increase in light irradiation to be smaller or larger before turning off or on the light source 320. In other words, when turning on the light source, it is desirable to gradually increase the amount of light, and when turning off the light source, it is desirable to gradually decrease the amount of light and finally turn it off to relieve stress on crops.

Meanwhile, when it is night time outside, the light source 310 is turned on according to the reversed control of day and night even when some of the low temperature of the outside air is transmitted inside. When the interior of the cultivation module 400 is configured as a commercial refrigerated container, the area is about 80 m3, the light source 320 is configured with LED, and the consumption strategy is set to about 150 kW/day or more, the LED The amount of heat generated from the outside can exceed the amount of cooling coming in. Therefore, even if it is night time outside, when the light source 310 is turned on, it is desirable to stop the operation of the heater of the air conditioner 310 to prevent a temperature increase.

However, in the case of crops, it is already widely known that the growth rate can be improved when a temperature above a set range is applied rather than the optimal growth temperature. Therefore, it is desirable for the control unit 300 to maintain the temperature for a set time even when the light source 310 is turned on and the temperature is higher than the optimal growth temperature. However, it is important to control the air conditioner within the set time to lower the internal temperature. . As a result, the frequency of tip burn can be significantly reduced by increasing the growth rate and ultimately reducing the stress of the crop.

Meanwhile, the target device 3000 includes a water pump 360. The water pump 360 serves to move the nutrient solution from the lower part to the upper part. The nutrient solution moved to the upper part is supplied to each crop (reference numeral 11 in FIG. 5, The excess nutrient solution is supplied and moved to the lower irrigation tank (355) and is collected.

However, as described above, the water flow detection sensor 160 detects the supply or flow rate of water. If the water flow is not detected, the indirect control module 220 detects the light source (even if the inside is daytime (the outside is night time)). 320) is turned off. If the light source 320 is turned on without the nutrient solution being supplied to each crop 11 because the flow of water is not detected, the photosynthesis and transpiration of the crops 11 must be quickly blocked to prevent the death of the crops 11. Because.

At this time, it is desirable that the control unit 200 blocks the operation of the water pump 360. The nutrient solution moves the cultivation module 400 by the water pump 360, but in this case, cooling of the crops has occurred because the light source 320 has already been blocked. However, the nutrient solution that moves the cultivation module 400 by the water pump 360 serves to secondary cool the crops. Therefore, in order to suppress excessive cooling, when the flow of water is not detected, it is desirable to turn off the light source 320 and simultaneously control the operation of the water pump 360 to stop.

Meanwhile, the target device 300 further includes a dehumidifying unit 330 or a CO2 supply unit 340. The dehumidifying unit 330 increases the internal temperature according to operation, and CO2 is supplied to the internal temperature according to the supply of cooled CO2. lowers the temperature. Therefore, the indirect control module 220 modifies the target temperature by including the operation of the dehumidifier or the supply of CO2 when controlling the temperature.

Hereinafter, the operation of the hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the cultivation module 400 according to this embodiment is arranged inside the container C to form a plurality of stages 400a and 400b. In the drawing, the cultivation modules 400 are formed of two, but this is not limited to this, and it is preferable to arrange them so that the number of rows and columns is maximized within the allowable interior area.

Basically, the cultivation module 400 allows a plurality of crops 11 to grow by placing them on the crop base 12 and causes roots to emerge from the lower part of the crop base 12. At this time, the water pump 360 transfers the lower nutrient solution to the cultivation module 400, so that each crop 11 is supplied with the nutrient solution. The cultivation module 400 forms a height gradient so that the nutrient solution moves to one side according to gravity, and the finally moved nutrient solution falls into the irrigation tank 355.

In this process, the air conditioner 310 performs direct temperature control by the above-described direct control module 210, and the light source 320, dehumidifier 330, and CO2 valve 340 are connected to the indirect control module 220. Indirect temperature control is performed. Meanwhile, reference number 350 refers to a doser and controls the pH and EC of the nutrient solution.

As described above, the hydroponic cultivation module control system according to an embodiment of the present invention performs temperature control in two ways, direct control and indirect control, thereby minimizing the temperature gradient or the time for the temperature gradient to be normalized, thereby achieving optimal growth conditions for crops. It becomes possible to build a close-by, large-capacity cultivation environment.

In the above specification and drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, and although specific terms have been used, these are merely used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and aid understanding of the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented.

C: container
11: Crops
12: Crop base
100: sensor unit
110: Temperature sensor
120: Humidity sensor
130: CO2 sensor
140: pH sensor
150: EC sensor
160: Water flow detection sensor
200: control unit
210: Direct control module
220: Indirect control module
300: target device
310: air conditioner
320: light source
330: Dehumidification unit
340: CO2 valve
350: Dozer
360: Water circulation pump
400: Cultivation module
500: Server
1000: Hydroponic cultivation module control system

Claims (9)

In the control system of the hydroponic cultivation module, which is blocked from the external atmosphere and external light and separately controls internal growth conditions,
A sensor unit that detects the internal environmental conditions; and
a control unit that controls a target device according to the detection value of the sensor unit;
Including,
The target device includes a light source and a water pump,
The sensor unit further includes a water flow detection sensor that detects the flow of water,
The control unit controls the light source to turn off when it is determined that the flow of water is not detected and at the same time stops the operation of the water pump.
According to paragraph 1,
The control unit turns on the light source when the outside is night time, and turns off the light source when the outside is day time.
According to paragraph 1,
The target device further includes an air conditioner, and the control unit performs direct temperature control for controlling the air conditioner to reach a set temperature or indirect control for controlling the temperature according to the turn on or off of the light source, where the light source is turned on. In this case, a hydroponic cultivation module control system characterized in that it suppresses the temperature rise caused by the air conditioner.
According to paragraph 3,
The control unit is a hydroponic cultivation module control system, characterized in that when the light source is turned on and a set time has elapsed, the control unit controls the air conditioner to lower the temperature for the set time.
delete According to paragraph 1,
The hydroponic cultivation module control system is characterized in that the control unit stops the operation of the water pump when it is determined that the supply of water has been stopped and the light source is turned off.
According to paragraph 2,
The control unit turns off the light source for 6 to 10 hours before and after the time when the outdoor temperature is the highest, or turns on the light source for 6 to 10 hours before and after the time when the external temperature is the lowest, taking into account the change in the length of the day or the change in the length of the night. A hydroponic cultivation module control system characterized in that it is controlled to do so.
According to paragraph 1,
The control unit is a hydroponic cultivation module control system, characterized in that when the light source is turned off or turned on, the amount of increase in light irradiation is controlled to decrease or increase.
According to paragraph 1,
The target device further includes a dehumidifying unit or a CO2 supply unit, and the control unit modifies the target temperature by including the operation of the dehumidifying unit or the supply of CO2 when controlling the temperature.