KR20110079483A - Ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A ubiquitous plant factory environment control system is provided to enable a user to control a plant factory regardless of the operating location. CONSTITUTION: A ubiquitous plant factory environment control system includes a memory unit, a first communication unit, and a central processing unit. The memory unit collects plant cultivating environment data from the atmosphere sensor, a nutrient solution, and a soil sensor. The first communication unit transmits the plant cultivating environment data to a controller. The central processing unit controls the memory unit and the first communication unit. The plant factory environment control system additionally includes an artificial lighting(300) for supplying light to plants planted on a plant bed(100).

Description

Ubiquitous Plant Factory Environmental Control System

The present invention relates to a plant factory environmental control, and more particularly to a technology for controlling the environment by controlling the plant factory remotely by wired / wireless communication methods such as Ethernet and Zigbee communication.

Agricultural productivity has been improved due to the increase of population due to industrialization and the use of chemicals such as pesticides to solve the shortage of food, but there are more cases of causing adverse effects on the human body. Due to the importance of safe food, attention is being paid to the cultivation of foods with no pesticides, such as pollution-free vegetables, thereby accelerating the development of new agricultural technologies.

Conventional agriculture relies on photosynthesis of plants by natural light, but there are frequent attempts to apply new LED lighting, which has recently been spotlighted, to agricultural technology. Soybeans in the method of plant growth by LED lighting need to be installed in the plant growth method to prevent external pests by installing a plant factory in order to avoid the influence of pests which are indispensable for the cultivation of plants by natural light in farmland. Was at. Unlike natural light, LED lighting has the advantage of controlling the wavelength of a specific area. Natural light includes infrared, ultraviolet and other various wavelength ranges including visible light, but LED light emits only a limited wavelength range depending on the type of light. Therefore, only the wavelength band necessary for photosynthesis of the plant can be selectively irradiated to the plant.

In addition, it is necessary to apply the ubiquitous environment to the plant factory, which can freely control the related devices at a long distance due to the development of communication technology, and the application of the Zigbee communication method to the plant factory, which is spotlighted as a short-range communication method. It was a necessary time. As a prior art, a computer network is disclosed in which a configuration of a plant growth apparatus and a computer for controlling the plant growth apparatus are connected to Patent No. 10-0883691 (plant growth apparatus and control system thereof). The network uses a wired LAN using a CSMA / CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) access control method such as Ethernet or a wireless LAN of a CSMA / CA + ACK (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance with Acknowledgement) method. . However, the control by this method has a problem in that the fluidity is reduced because the position controlling the plant growth apparatus is limited to a certain range.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ubiquitous environmental control system that can be controlled to solve the above-mentioned problems, the plant factory regardless of the place where the user is located.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wireless communication method with an environmental sensing unit and an environmental sensing unit, which are disposed inside a plant factory growing plants by artificial lighting to collect growth environmental data from a sensor that detects a growing environment. By controlling the growth environment of the plant by receiving the growth environment data collected by the environmental sensing unit and controlling the nutrient solution, plant air condition and artificial light intensity, which is input to the plant, the wire / wireless communication method with the controller By the control unit includes a server for giving a control command to adjust the growth environment of the plant.

The growth environment may include light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, nutrient solution, and soil. The sensor may include an atmospheric sensor for measuring the state of the atmosphere, a nutrient solution sensor for measuring the state of the nutrient solution, and a soil sensor for measuring the state of the soil.

The state of the atmosphere may include the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere. The state of the nutrient solution may include the hydrogen ion concentration, the electrical conductivity and the water temperature of the nutrient solution. Soil conditions may include soil moisture content, electrical conductivity, and geothermal temperature.

The control unit may further include an environmental control planning program for controlling the environment in each stage of plant growth.

The wireless communication method between the control unit and the environmental sensing unit is preferably a Zigbee communication method, and the communication method between the server and the control unit is preferably an Ethernet or CDMA communication method. The apparatus may further include a remote terminal for controlling the plant factory by remotely accessing the server by wire / wireless communication with the server.

According to the system for controlling the environment of the ubiquitous plant factory by the wireless communication method according to the present invention, it is advantageous in time because it does not need to directly enter and exit the plant factory and economically because it does not require wiring. It has an advantageous effect, and can be controlled at any time when needed, allowing for more effective and convenient control.

1 is a perspective view showing a plant factory according to an embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a communication network configuration of the control unit and the environmental sensing unit of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, the same reference numerals will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, with reference to the same components preferred embodiments of the present invention. The terms or words used in the specification and claims are not to be construed as being limited to conventional or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical matters of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a plant factory according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the plant factory includes a plant bed 100, a nutrient solution supply device 200, an artificial light 300, a humidifier 400, an air conditioner 500, and a touch panel 600. The humidity of the air may be controlled by the humidifier 400, and the plant may be photosynthetic by the carbon dioxide discharged through the air conditioner 500.

The artificial light 300 provides light for photosynthesis of plants planted in the plant bed 100. Artificial light 300 of the present invention can be controlled wirelessly. The characteristics of the light controlled by the artificial light 300 may include photoperiod, wavelength of light, intensity of light, and the like.

The nutrient solution supply device 200 is provided to the plant in combination with watering and fertilizer in order to supply nutrients to the plant.

The touch panel 600 is to give a user command to the control unit 650 for controlling the components of the plant factory by wire / wireless or to display the current, such as the atmosphere of the plant factory, soil.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the plant factory environmental control system 1 includes an environmental sensing unit 710, a controller 720, and a server 730.

The environmental sensing unit 710 collects growth environment data from sensors 810, 820, and 830 disposed inside the plant factory growing plants by the artificial light 300 to detect the growth environment. The growth conditions may be light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, nutrient solution, soil, and the like, and the sensors 810, 820, and 830 include an atmospheric sensor 820 for measuring the state of the atmosphere, nutrient solution for measuring the state of the nutrient solution Sensor 810, and a soil sensor 830 for measuring the condition of the soil may be included. The state of the atmosphere may include the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere. The state of the nutrient solution may include a hydrogen ion concentration (PH), electrical conductivity (EC), water temperature and the like of the nutrient solution. The condition of the soil may include the moisture content (토양 水 率) of the soil, electrical conductivity and geothermal. Artificial light 300 as a preferred embodiment of the present invention can be configured as an LED light that can effectively generate the wavelength required for the plant, it can be used by using a mixture of red light, blue light, and green light LED.

The environmental sensing unit 710 collects and stores the growth environment data acquired by the air, nutrient solution, and soil sensors 820, 810, and 830, and stores the state data stored in the memory 712 to the controller 720. It may include a first communication unit 714 in charge of communication with the control unit 720 to transmit, and a central processing unit 716 for controlling the memory 712 and the first communication unit 714.

The control unit 720 receives the growth environment data collected by the environmental sensing unit 710 by a wireless communication method with the environmental sensing unit 710 and the nutrient solution that is put into the plant, the atmospheric state of the plant factory and artificial lighting (300) Control the growing environment of plants. The controller 720 is a second communication unit for processing wired communication with the nutrient solution supply device 200, wired / wireless communication with the server 730, and wireless communication with the environmental sensing unit 710, and the artificial light 300. Including 722, the growth environment of the plant can be controlled by controlling the nutrient solution, the irrigation ratio and the illuminance of the artificial light 300 of the nutrient solution supply device 200. In addition, by dividing the plant factory, an environmental sensing unit 710 is installed in each section, and the control unit 720 requests each environmental sensing unit 710 to transmit independent control commands and growth environment data, and to each environmental sensing unit ( A plurality of networks of a control unit 720, which is a control command and a data receiving unit, and an environment sensing unit 710, which receives a plurality of control commands and a data transmitter, receives the growth environment data according to the control command from 710. A base node 725 may be further included. Since the plant may have a difference in growth environment depending on the location of the plant plant, the plant plant may be divided into several compartments, and thus, an environmental sensing unit 710 may be provided in each compartment to more precisely control the growth environment.

The controller 720 may further include a display unit 600 to display a growth environment. In addition to the irrigation system corresponding to the nutrient solution supply device 200 structure, the artificial lighting state, environmental sensing state, growth trend, growth schedule, and the like may be displayed. The display unit 600 may include a touch screen to check a growth environment displayed and to adjust a desired growth condition directly on the site. In addition, the controller 720 may further include an environmental control plan program for controlling the environment in each stage of plant growth, which may be managed through the display unit 600. Plants cultivated in the plant factory may vary according to the needs of the user, the plant suitable for growing in the plant factory may be selected from lettuce, chicory, brokerage or strawberry, the display unit 600 selects each plant It is possible to check and manage the growth environment and conditions.

The server 730 issues a control command for the controller 720 to control the growth environment of the plant by a wireless communication method with the controller 720. The environment control plan program included in the controller 720 may also be included in the server 730 and may include a human machine interface (HMI) for the convenience of a user's operation.

In addition, the terminal 730 may further include a remote terminal 735 for remotely controlling the plant by connecting to the server 730 by a wired / wireless communication method with the server 730. The remote terminal 735 may include a computer installed in a home, a portable notebook, a mobile communication terminal, and the like. The remote terminal 735 also has an HMI so that the user can remotely access the server plant 730 through the trunk network such as the Internet / mobile communication network even when the user is away from the plant plant at a short distance using the Ethernet. Can be controlled.

The wireless communication method between the first communication unit 714 of the environmental sensing unit 710, the second communication unit 722 of the control unit 720, and the artificial light 300 may use a Zigbee communication method. The wired or wireless communication method between the communication unit 722 and the server 730 may use Ethernet or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication method. Since the Zigbee communication method is for relatively short-range communication, the wireless communication in the plant factory is performed by the Zigbee communication method, and the control unit 720 and the server 730 use the CDMA communication method as well as the Ethernet communication. Reliable communication can be achieved even if the plant is far from the factory. The environmental sensing unit 710 and the artificial light 300 can be moved at any time by the relocation of the plant according to the growing environment of the plant, so that the convenience of management can be enhanced, so that the communication unit can be equipped with a wireless communication module. It is.

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a communication network configuration of the control unit and environment sensing unit 710 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, in the communication network configuration of the environmental sensing unit 710, a plurality of environmental sensing units 710 communicate with the controller 720 by wireless communication. In the case where a plurality of environmental sensing units 710 are installed in each section, a plurality of environmental sensing units 710 and one control unit 720 are configured by the base node 725 to configure a number of networks and control data and control. Transmission and reception of signals is possible.

Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) can be constructed using Zigbee communication as a basic communication for operating a plant factory. Zigbee short-range wireless communication is a suitable communication method for communication inside most plant factories because wireless communication within 200 meters is possible.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments of the present invention, and is generally used in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications are possible by those skilled in the art. In addition, matters that can be easily inferred from the appended drawings should be regarded as included in the content of the present invention even if they are not described in the detailed description, and various modifications will be separately understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention. Will not be.

Claims (11)

In a plant factory growing plants by artificial lighting,
An environment sensing unit arranged in the plant factory to collect the growth environment data from a sensor that detects the growth environment; A control unit for receiving the growth environment data by a wireless communication method with the environment detection unit; And a server for transmitting a control command to the control unit by a wired / wireless communication method with the control unit.
The controller receives the growth environment data collected by the environmental sensing unit and transmits the growth environment data to the server, and the server receives the growth environment data to generate a growth condition suitable for the growth of the plant to the control unit to grow the plant. Transmits a control command to adjust the environment, and the controller controls the growth environment of the plant by controlling the nutrient solution, the atmospheric state of the plant factory, and the illuminance of the artificial light, which are input to the plant according to the control command of the server. Ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system, characterized in that.
The method of claim 1, wherein the growing environment is at least one of light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, nutrient solution, and soil, the sensor is an atmospheric sensor for measuring the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere, hydrogen ion of nutrient solution Ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system comprising a nutrient solution sensor for measuring the concentration, electrical conductivity and water temperature, and a soil sensor for measuring the water content, electrical conductivity and ground temperature of the soil.
The method of claim 2, wherein the environmental sensing unit
A memory for collecting and storing growth environment data acquired by the air, nutrient solution, and soil sensor;
A first communication unit in charge of communicating with the control unit for transmitting growth environment data stored in the memory to the control unit; And
Ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system comprising a; central processing unit for controlling the memory and the first communication unit.
The method of claim 3, wherein the control unit
And a second communication unit configured to process wired / wireless communication with the nutrient solution supply device, the environmental sensing unit, the server, and artificial lighting, and the nutrient solution supplied to the plant by wire communication with the nutrient solution supply device; Control the standby state of the plant factory, the reception of the growth environment data and the illuminance of the artificial lighting by wireless communication with the environmental sensing unit and artificial lighting, and control by wire or wireless communication with the server A ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system, characterized in that to control the growth environment of the plant by receiving a command and transmitting the growth environment data.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plant factory is partitioned and the environmental sensing unit is installed in each section, and the control unit sends an independent control command and data request to each of the environmental sensing units and sends a control command from each of the environmental sensing units. 1: Receiving data transmission according to the plant factory environmental control system further comprises a base node for configuring a plurality of networks.
The ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit further comprises a display unit to display the growth environment.
The ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to claim 6, wherein the display unit includes the touch screen to directly adjust the growth environment in the field.
The ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to claim 4, wherein the wireless communication method between the first communication unit, the second communication unit and the artificial light is a Zigbee communication method.
The ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to claim 4, wherein the communication method between the second communication unit and the server is Ethernet or CDMA communication method.
The ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system according to claim 1, wherein the artificial light is an LED light.
The ubiquitous plant factory environmental control system of claim 1, further comprising a remote terminal for controlling the plant factory by remotely connecting the server in a wired or wireless communication manner.

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