KR20230030314A - Crop cultivation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A crop cultivation apparatus capable of growing and harvesting crops using a smart farm system is provided. The crop cultivation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a cultivation frame in which shelves on which crops can be placed are arranged in a plurality of stages; a driving unit installed on the cultivation frame and capable of changing the position in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions; and a gripper installed in the driving unit and bent according to the injection of a fluid to grip the crops.

Description

Crop cultivation apparatus {CROP CULTIVATION APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a crop cultivation device, and more particularly, to a crop cultivation device capable of raising crops by utilizing a smart farm system to raise crops.

With the increase in national income, consumers' consumption of agricultural products has been upgraded and diversified, and the demand for agricultural products is steadily increasing as the total population increases.

On the other hand, in order to meet the steadily increasing demand for agricultural products, places where agricultural products are produced are also being transformed on a large scale, and it has become an essential factor to produce agricultural products with efficient work performance in order to mass-produce agricultural products.

Accordingly, The smart farm market, which artificially controls light, temperature, humidity, air, and culture medium, is rapidly increasing, and research is being actively conducted to improve productivity by automating such smart farms through robots.

In particular, crop harvesting requires a relatively large amount of labor, so automating crop harvesting can greatly reduce labor and create a foundation for a 24/7 crop production system, which will greatly improve productivity. can

However, unlike the automation of industrial factories, the automation of smart farms must be able to respond appropriately to environmental changes, and most crops are sensitive to contact. do.

Therefore, as an innovative smart farm system, it is necessary to develop a crop cultivation device that not only automatically grows crops, but also minimizes damage to crops and allows appropriate cultivation according to the state of crops.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0064211 (published on June 10, 2019)

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems of the crop cultivation apparatus.

Specifically, an object of the present invention is to utilize a smart farm system to automatically grow crops without human intervention.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to minimize the impact applied to crops during cultivation, thereby preventing damage to crops.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to determine the type and growth degree of the crop to be cultivated, so that appropriate cultivation can be achieved according to the state of the crop.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. You will be able to.

In order to achieve the above or other objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, a cultivation frame in which shelves on which crops can be placed are arranged in a plurality of stages; a drive unit installed on the growing frame and capable of changing its position in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions; and a gripper installed in the driving unit and bent according to fluid injection to grip the crop.

In addition, the gripper is coupled to each of the branch pipes so that the fluid can be injected into the body portion and the inside where a plurality of branch pipes diverging on a plane after the fluid is injected, and the expansion rate of one side and the other side is different from each other. It may include a gripping part that is bent in one direction when it expands according to the injection of fluid.

In addition, the gripping part is made of a ductile material, a deformable body in which a continuous concave-convex structure is formed along one surface, and the bending deformation of the deformable body is not limited, but the tensile deformation is made of a material capable of limiting, and the other surface side from the inside of the deformable body It may include a support disposed to be biased toward.

In addition, the deformable body may be made of a material including rubber or silicon.

In addition, the crop cultivation apparatus may further include a control unit capable of controlling the position of the drive unit and the gripping state of the gripper.

In addition, the crop cultivation apparatus further includes a sensing unit capable of detecting a state of the crop, and the control unit may control the driving unit and the gripper according to the state of the crop detected through the sensing unit.

In addition, the crop cultivation apparatus further includes a memory unit capable of storing information about the crop, and the control unit compares the state of the crop detected through the sensing unit with the information on the crop stored in the memory unit, and the driving unit And it can control the gripper.

In addition, the control unit may individually control the pressure of the fluid injected into the gripping unit through each of the branch pipes.

In addition, the drive unit includes a first rail installed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation frame, a second rail slidably installed in the longitudinal direction along the first rail and extended along the lateral direction, and the second A third rail is slidably installed in a transverse direction along the rail and extends along the transverse direction, and the gripper may be slidably installed in a transverse direction along the third rail.

In addition, the third rail may be hingedly rotatable about a rotation axis in a longitudinal direction with respect to the second rail.

The solutions to the technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned solutions, and other solutions not mentioned are clear to those skilled in the art from the description below. will be understandable.

The effect of the crop cultivation apparatus according to the present invention is described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, the gripper installed in the drive unit for the crops seated on the cultivation frame can be moved to each position to grip the crops, so the cultivation of crops can be done automatically by using it in a smart farm system It is possible to implement a crop cultivation device.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, since the gripper is bent according to the injection of fluid to grip the crop, the implementation of a crop cultivation device capable of minimizing the impact applied to the crop when gripping the crop through the gripper is possible.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, since cultivation is performed by reflecting the state of the crop detected through the sensing unit, it is possible to implement a crop cultivation apparatus capable of appropriately cultivating the crop according to the state of the crop.

A further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description that follows. However, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples such as preferred embodiments of the present invention are given as examples only.

1 is a view showing a state of cultivating crops using a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example.
2 is a view showing a cultivation frame, a drive unit, and a gripper in a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view showing a gripper in more detail in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a gripper in more detail in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing the gripping part of the gripper in more detail in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing a bent state of the gripping part of the gripper in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram schematically showing the main configuration of a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing a detection state of a sensing unit for a crop in a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing the present invention, descriptions of already known functions or configurations will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

1 is a view showing a state of cultivating crops using a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example. 2 is a view showing a cultivation frame, a drive unit, and a gripper in a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a perspective view showing a gripper in more detail in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a gripper in more detail in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a view showing the gripping part of the gripper in more detail in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a bent state of the gripping part of the gripper in the crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 , the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cultivation frame 100 , a drive unit 200 and a gripper 300 .

The cultivation frame 100 is a part in which the shelves 110 on which the crops 10 can be placed are arranged in a plurality of stages, and may constitute a main appearance of the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment.

In this case, the cultivation frame 100 may have a frame structure including a plurality of pillars and beams, and shelves 110 may be mounted and supported on each beam.

Crops 10 for cultivation may be placed on each shelf 110, and light, moisture, and a culture medium may be artificially supplied to the crops 10 so that the crops 10 are grown.

The driving unit 200 is installed on the cultivation frame 100 and is a part whose location can be changed in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. When the driving unit 200 moves, the gripper 300 installed on the driving unit 200 moves the It can be moved to each part on (100).

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the X axis may be an axis along the left and right directions of the growing frame 100 . Further, the Y axis is an axis orthogonal to the X axis, and may be an axis along the front and rear directions of the cultivation frame 100. In addition, the Z axis is an axis orthogonal to both the X axis and the Y axis, and may be an axis along the vertical direction of the cultivation frame 100.

Accordingly, in the drive unit 200, the spatial coordinates of the growth frame 100 can be changed in various ways, and the gripper 300 installed in the drive unit 200 also has various coordinates in space of the growth frame 100. It can be.

The gripper 300 is installed in the driving unit 200 and is bent according to the injection of fluid to grip the crop 10, and can grip the crop 10 for harvesting or transporting the crop 10. .

Specifically, the gripper 300 may be installed in the driving unit 200 in a state as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 . And, as described above, the gripper 300 may be moved to the position of the crop 10 that needs to be gripped according to the movement of the drive unit 200 .

As such, the gripper 300 moved to the position of the crop 10 that needs to be gripped is bent in a state as shown in FIG. 6 and can grip the crop 10 . In particular, as fluid is injected into the gripper 300 and the pressure inside the gripper 300 is changed, the gripper 300 may be bent.

Therefore, since the pressure to grip the crop 10 by bending the gripper is a fluid pressure, the impact applied to the crop 10 can be relatively relieved compared to the case of gripping the crop 10 by mechanical pressure. there is.

Due to this, since the crop 10 to be gripped can be prevented from being damaged by gripping impact, loss during cultivation of the crop 10 can be minimized to further improve productivity.

In this case, the fluid may include various materials such as water or oil as well as air, and injection and discharge of the fluid into and out of the gripper 300 may be controlled through a separate pump or the like.

In this way, in the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment, the gripper 300 installed in the drive unit 200 is moved to each position with respect to the crop 10 seated on the cultivation frame 100, so that the crop 10 Since it is possible to grip, the cultivation of crops 10 can be made automatically by utilizing the smart farm system.

In particular, in the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment, since the gripper 300 is bent according to the injection of fluid to grip the crop 10, when the crop 10 is gripped through the gripper 300, the crop ( 10) can be minimized.

In the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the gripper 300 may include a body portion 310 and a gripping portion 320 .

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the body portion 310 is a portion in which a plurality of branch pipes 311 branched on a plane after fluid is injected, and supports each gripping portion 320. A plurality of gripping units 320 may be interlocked together to grip the crop 10 .

In this case, a supply pipe through which fluid is supplied may be coupled to a portion of the body portion 310 , and the supply pipe may be coupled to a branch pipe 311 branching from the body portion 310 .

The gripper 320 is coupled to each branch pipe 311 so that the fluid can be injected into the inside, and the expansion rate of one side and the other side is formed to be different from each other, so that it is bent in one direction when expanding according to the injection of the fluid.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 , the gripping part 320 may be expanded by the fluid injected through the branch pipe 311 . In this case, since the expansion rates of one surface and the other surface of the gripping part 320 are different from each other, the gripping part 320 may be bent in one direction when fluid is injected.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6 , as the plurality of gripping parts 320 are bent toward the center together, gripping of the crop 10 through the gripper 300 can be easily achieved.

In the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the gripping unit 320 may include a deformable body 321 and a support body 323 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , the deformable body 321 is made of a soft material and has a continuous uneven structure along one surface, and may expand and deform when fluid is injected.

That is, when fluid is injected into the gripping part 320, the deformable body 321 made of a soft material expands, and the groove part of the concavo-convex structure formed along one surface expands, and adjacent protrusions can push each other's sides. .

Accordingly, bending deformation and tensile deformation may be generated on one surface of the deformable body 321 centered on the uneven portion.

The support body 323 is a part that is made of a material that does not limit the bending deformation of the deformable body 321 but can limit the tensile deformation, and is biased toward the other surface inside the deformable body 321 .

That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the support 323 is made of a material that can be bent but not subjected to tensile deformation, so that the support 323 is placed in the holding part 320. Variations may be limited.

In this case, since the support 323 is biased toward the other surface inside the deformable body 321, even if bending and tensile strain are generated on one surface of the deformable body 321 as described above, the other surface of the deformable body 321 does not have bending deformation only occurs and tensile strain can be limited.

Accordingly, when fluid is injected into the gripper 320, one surface of the deformable body 321 expands according to tensile strain, but the other surface of the deformable body 321 does not expand due to limited tensile strain.

However, the bending deformation centered on one surface of the deformable body 321 is transferred to the other surface of the deformable body 321 as it is, so that the deformable body 321 and the holding part 320 including the same may be bent in one direction.

In the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the deformable body 321 may be made of a material including rubber or silicon.

As described above, in that the deformable body 321 must be expandable when fluid is injected, it may be preferable that the deformable body 321 is made of a material including elastic rubber or silicone.

In addition, in order to stably grip the crop 10 by maintaining a certain portion of the frictional force with the gripping surface of the crop 10 when gripping the crop 10, a rubber or silicone containing rubber or silicone capable of maintaining a predetermined adhesive force It may be preferable that the deformable body 321 is made of a material.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the deformable body 321 made of a material including rubber or silicone can be manufactured by curing so that the support 323 is bonded to the lower end, and then further curing the upper end portion on the upper part. there is.

In the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit 200 may include a first rail 210 , a second rail 220 , and a third rail 230 .

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first rail 210 is a part that is installed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation frame 100, and is a guide rail for the driving unit 200 to move along the Z axis. can achieve

Meanwhile, although FIGS. 1 and 2 show a configuration in which the first rail 210 is formed as a pair at both ends of the second rail 220, it is not necessarily limited thereto, and the number of first rails 210 and The layout can be modified in various ways as needed.

The second rail 220 may be slidably installed in the longitudinal direction along the first rail 210 . Accordingly, the second rail 220 can slide along the first rail 210 in the Z-axis direction, and the driving unit 200 including the first rail 210 and the second rail 220 The installed gripper 300 may be moved along the Z-axis on the cultivation frame 100.

And, the second rail 220 is formed to extend along the lateral direction, so that the driving unit 200 can form a guide rail for moving along the X-axis.

The third rail 230 may be slidably installed in a transverse direction along the second rail 220 . Accordingly, the third rail 230 can slide in the X-axis direction along the second rail 220, and the first rail 210, the second rail 220, and the third rail 230 The gripper 300 installed in the driving unit 200 including the gripper 300 may be moved along the X axis and the Z axis on the cultivation frame 100.

And, the third rail 230 is formed to extend along the lateral direction, so that the driving unit 200 can form a guide rail for moving along the Y-axis.

Here, the gripper 300 may be slidably installed in a transverse direction along the third rail 230 . Accordingly, the gripper 300 can slide in the Y-axis direction along the third rail 230, and the gripper 300 slidably installed on the drive unit 200 is installed on the cultivation frame 100 in the X-axis direction. , can be moved along the Y-axis and the Z-axis.

In the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the third rail 230 may be hingedly rotatable about the rotation axis 240 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the second rail 220 .

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the third rail 230 rotates around the rotation shaft 240 coupled to the second rail 220, and the second rail 220 and the third rail ( 230) may change.

As described above, when the drive unit 200 includes the first rail 210, the second rail 220, and the third rail 230, the gripper 300 is positioned on the X-axis and Y-axis on the cultivation frame 100. It can be moved along the Axis and Z axis.

However, depending on the specific position of the crop 10, a case may occur where each component of the drive unit 200, such as the pillar and beam structure of the cultivation frame 100, interferes with a certain portion. In this case, the gripper 300 It may not be easy to move to the position of the corresponding crop (10).

Therefore, by allowing the third rail 230 to hinge with respect to the second rail 220, in that the area to which the third rail 230 can reach on the rearrangement frame 100 can be further expanded, more diverse Movement of the gripper 300 to the position can be made smoothly.

7 is a diagram schematically showing the main configuration of a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a diagram showing a detection state of a sensing unit for a crop in a crop cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example.

The crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a control unit 400 capable of controlling the position of the driving unit 200 and the gripping state of the gripper 300 .

That is, the controller 400 controls the positions of the first rail 210, the second rail 220, the third rail 230, and the gripper 300 on the drive unit 200 to control the position of the crop 10 that needs to be gripped. It is possible to move the gripper 300 into position.

In addition, the control unit 400 may control whether or not the crop 10 is gripped, the gripping strength, and the gripping position in a state in which the gripper 300 is moved to the position of the crop 10 that needs to be gripped.

The crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a sensing unit 500 capable of detecting the state of the crop 10, and the control unit 400 detects the crop through the sensing unit 500 ( 10), the driving unit 200 and the gripper 300 can be controlled according to the state.

In this case, the sensing unit 500 may include a camera or sensor capable of photographing or imaging the surrounding environment including the crop 10 . In addition, the sensor 500 may recognize and detect the state of the crop 10 with an image obtained through a camera or sensor shown in FIG. 8 .

Here, the state of the crop 10 may include not only the type and growth degree of the crop 10, but also various information such as the color, distribution, and presence or absence of pests and diseases of the crop 10.

Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether the crops 10 are properly cultivated through the sensor 500, as well as to determine whether each crop 10 is subject to harvest, and only the crops 10 to be harvested are gripped. (300) can be controlled to grip.

In this way, in the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment, since cultivation is performed by reflecting the state of the crop 10 detected through the sensor 500, appropriate cultivation is performed according to the state of the crop 10. It can be done.

The crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a memory unit 600 capable of storing information about the crops 10, and the control unit 400 controls the crops detected through the sensing unit 500. The driving unit 200 and the gripper 300 may be controlled by comparing the state of (10) with the information of the crop 10 stored in the memory unit 600.

Here, the information about the crops 10 stored in the memory unit 600 may include individual information such as growth characteristics according to the types of crops 10, harvested parts and vulnerable parts.

Accordingly, after the type of crop 10 at a specific location is identified through the sensing unit 500, by comparing information on the crop 10 of the corresponding type stored in the memory unit 600 with the state of the current crop 10, It is possible to determine the suitability of cultivating the crop 10 more precisely and whether or not to be harvested.

Meanwhile, information on the crop 10 sensed through the sensing unit 500 may be continuously stored in the memory unit 600 so that information on the crop 10 under cultivation may be updated. In addition, the memory unit 600 may be connected to a separate database or the like wired or wireless so that new information about the crop 10 is reflected.

In the crop cultivation apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 400 may individually control the pressure of the fluid injected into the gripper 320 through each branch pipe 311 .

As described above, depending on the type of crop 10, a harvested area and a vulnerable area for harvesting may be different. Therefore, it is necessary to control the gripper 300 so that harvesting can be performed by reflecting the characteristics of the corresponding crop 10 .

Accordingly, the plurality of gripping parts 320 are not uniformly controlled, and the pressure of the specific gripping part 320 is relatively strong and the pressure of the other specific gripping part 320 is controlled relatively weakly, so that each crop 10 It may be desirable to ensure that harvesting takes into account the harvested and vulnerable areas of the plant.

In the foregoing, although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described and shown, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and it is common knowledge in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is self-evident to those who have Therefore, such modifications or variations should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or viewpoint of the present invention, and modified embodiments should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

10: crops 100: cultivation frame
110: shelf 200: driving unit
210: first rail 220: second rail
230: third rail 240: rotation axis
300: gripper 310: body
311: branch pipe 320: gripping part
321: variant 323: support
400: control unit 500: detection unit
600: memory unit 1000: crop cultivation device

Claims (10)

A cultivation frame in which shelves on which crops can be placed are arranged in a plurality of stages;
a drive unit installed on the growing frame and capable of changing its position in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions; and
a gripper installed in the drive unit and capable of gripping the crop by being bent according to fluid injection;
Crop cultivation device comprising a. According to claim 1,
The gripper,
A body portion formed with a plurality of branch pipes branching on a plane after the fluid is injected, and
A crop cultivation device including a gripping portion coupled to each of the branch pipes so that the fluid can be injected into the inside, and formed to have different expansion rates on one side and the other side so that the grip portion is bent in one direction when expanding according to the injection of the fluid. According to claim 2,
The holding part,
A deformable body made of a ductile material and having a continuous concavo-convex structure formed along one surface; and
A crop cultivation apparatus including a support made of a material capable of limiting tensile strain but not limiting the bending deformation of the deformable body and disposed to be biased toward the other surface inside the deformable body. According to claim 3,
The deformable body is made of a material containing rubber or silicon, crop cultivation apparatus. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Crop cultivation apparatus further comprising a control unit capable of controlling the position of the drive unit and the gripping state of the gripper. According to claim 5,
It further includes; a sensor capable of detecting the state of the crop;
The control unit controls the driving unit and the gripper according to the state of the crop detected through the sensing unit. According to claim 6,
Further comprising a memory unit capable of storing information about the crop;
Wherein the control unit controls the drive unit and the gripper by comparing the state of the crop detected through the sensing unit with information on the crop stored in the memory unit. According to claim 7,
Wherein the control unit is capable of individually controlling the pressure of the fluid injected into the gripping unit through each of the branch pipes. According to claim 8,
the driving unit,
A first rail installed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation frame;
a second rail slidably installed in the longitudinal direction along the first rail and extending along the transverse direction;
A third rail slidably installed in the transverse direction along the second rail and extending along the transverse direction,
The gripper is slidably installed in the transverse direction along the third rail, crop cultivation apparatus. According to claim 9,
The third rail is hingedly rotatable about a rotational axis in a longitudinal direction with respect to the second rail, crop cultivation apparatus.

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