TWI531307B - Water-level adjusting method, a water-level adjusting apparatus and a plant cultivating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Water level adjustment method, water level adjusting device and plant cultivation device

The invention relates to a water level adjusting method, a water level adjusting device and a cultivation device, and particularly relates to a water level adjusting method, a water level adjusting device and a plant cultivation device for a hydroponic tank.

In recent years, soilless cultivation techniques have gradually gained attention, and there have been a lot of use of hydroponic methods for growing vegetables, fruits, gardens and flowers. Hydroponic cultivation has been used by botanists as a research tool when it discovered various elements of plant nutrition in the past. Because it allows the roots of plants to soak, it can directly contact nutrients with the roots of plants, allowing crops to grow rapidly. Therefore, hydroponic cultivation is considered to be a cultivation method capable of increasing productivity per unit area. However, hydroponic cultivation can gain advantages in terms of productivity per unit area, but in terms of cost, including greenhouses, equipment, maintenance, labor and materials. The higher the cost of investment, the lower the advantage of high unit area productivity, and the trade-off between output and cost becomes an important issue.

In the past, the hydroponic tanks used to grow plants were designed to allow the roots soaked in the water to fully obtain nutrients without causing excessive moisture to cause lesions. Traditionally, artificial methods have been used in the process of root growth to artificially judge and adjust the height of the water surface of the hydroponic tank to meet the conditions for crop adaptation. However, such an approach would increase the burden of labor costs.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a water level adjusting method, a water level adjusting device, and a plant growing device. The method and device can effectively and automatically detect the growth of plant roots and adjust the water level of the water cultivating tank to effectively reduce the labor cost by an automated method.

The invention provides a water level adjusting method for a water cultivating tank. The hydroponic tank is suitable for growing plants. The water level adjustment method includes the steps of: sensing the minimum level of the plant along the root growth direction of the plant by the sensor, and adjusting the water level of the water cultivating tank according to the minimum level.

In an embodiment of the invention, the step of adjusting the water level in the water cultivating tank according to the lowest level further comprises the following steps: determining whether the height difference between the lowest level and the water level reference height is within a preset height difference interval, And if the height difference is within the preset height difference interval, the water level of the hydroponic tank is adjusted to the lowest level plus the first height.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further includes the step of adjusting the water level of the hydroponic tank to the water level reference height if the height difference between the lowest level and the water level reference height is less than the lower limit height difference of the preset height difference interval.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the following steps: if the height difference between the lowest level and the water level reference height is greater than the upper limit height difference of the preset height difference interval, periodically adjusting the water level of the water cultivating tank according to the tidal cycle Between the first tidal height and the second tidal height.

In an embodiment of the invention, the step of adjusting the water level in the water cultivating tank according to the minimum level further comprises the steps of: providing a drain pipe connecting the bottom of the water cultivating tank, and adjusting the drain of the drain pipe according to the minimum level height.

The invention provides a water level adjusting device suitable for adjusting the water level height of a hydroponic tank. The hydroponic tank is suitable for growing plants. The water level adjusting device includes a sensor and a water level adjusting module. The sensor is used to sense the lowest level of the plant and to generate a height indication signal. The water level adjustment module is connected to the hydroponic tank and the sensor to receive the height indication signal, thereby adjusting the water level of the hydroponic tank according to the lowest level.

In an embodiment of the invention, the water level adjustment module includes a water level lifting module and a controller. The water level lifting module is connected to the water tank for water injection or drainage according to the control signal, thereby adjusting the water level in the water tank. The controller is connected to the sensor and the water level lifting module for providing a control signal according to the height indication signal to control the operation of the water level lifting module. The controller calculates the height difference between the lowest level and the water level reference height, determines whether the height difference is within the preset height difference interval, and adjusts the water level in the water cultivating tank based on the judgment result.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller is further configured to control the sensor to move along the root growth direction of the plant to sense the lowest level of the plant.

In an embodiment of the invention, the water level lifting module includes a drain pipe and a water level control member. The drain pipe communicates with the bottom of the hydroponic tank. The water level control member is configured to adjust the drain height of the drain pipe according to the control signal provided by the controller.

The invention provides a plant cultivation device, which comprises a hydroponic tank and a water level adjusting device. The hydroponic tank is suitable for growing plants and has a bottom and a side wall. The water level adjusting device is connected to the hydroponic tank to adjust the water level of the hydroponic tank. The water level adjusting device includes a sensor and a water level adjusting module. The sensor is movably disposed along the side wall of the hydroponic tank to sense the lowest level of the plant. The water level adjustment module is connected to the hydroponic tank and the sensor to adjust the water level in the water trough according to the lowest level.

Based on the above, the present invention provides a water level adjusting method, a water level adjusting device and a plant growing device, which can use a movable sensor to sense the minimum level of plant root growth in the hydroponic tank, and then according to the lowest level. Height to dynamically adjust the water level in the hydroponic tank. In this way, the plant cultivation device can achieve automation, saving labor cost and time.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments embodiments In addition, wherever possible, the same reference numerals in the drawings

The invention is described below by way of a number of embodiments, which are not intended to limit the invention. Moreover, the embodiments described below can be appropriately combined, replaced or omitted in a reasonable situation to meet different practical needs. The term "coupled" as used throughout the specification (including the scope of the patent application) may be used in any direct or indirect connection. For example, if the first device is described as being coupled to the second device, it should be construed that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be connected through other devices or some kind of connection means. Connected to the second device indirectly. Furthermore, the term "signal" may refer to at least one current, voltage, charge, temperature, data, or any other one or more signals.

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 1. In the present embodiment, the plant cultivation apparatus 10 includes a hydroponic tank 50 and a water level adjusting device 100. The water level adjusting device 100 described above includes a sensor 110 and a water level adjusting module 120.

In the present embodiment, the hydroponic tank 50 is for cultivating plants including a bottom and a side wall. The water level adjusting device 100 is connected to the water cultivating tank 50 and is used to adjust the water level in the water cultivating tank 50.

Specifically, in the water level adjusting device 100, the sensor 110 is coupled to the water level adjusting module 120, and is configured to sense whether an object exists in the sensing range and emit a signal, and the sensor 110 is, for example, an infrared sensation. Detector or image sensor, etc. In the present embodiment, the sensor 110 is disposed, for example, adjacent to the side wall of the hydroponic tank 50, thereby sensing the root growth of the plant in the hydroponic tank 50. Taking the sensor 110 as an infrared sensor as an example, the infrared sensor can receive the infrared rays radiated by the plant, and then determine the root position of the plant according to the received infrared frequency or wavelength. The sensor 110 generates a corresponding height indication signal Smin according to the sensed plant root information (such as the lowest level height MIN of the plant), and transmits the corresponding height indication signal Smin to the water level adjustment module 120.

The water level adjustment module 120 includes a controller 122 and a water level lifting module 124. The controller 122 is coupled to the sensor 110 and the water level lifting module 124. The controller 122 can be used to control the operation of the water level raising and lowering module 124 and the movement of the sensor 110 according to the height indicating signal Smin from the sensor 110. In this embodiment, the controller 122 is, for example, a micro-controller, an embedded controller, a central processing unit (CPU), or the like, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The type of controller. In another embodiment, the controller 122 can also be a mechanical structure designed to interlock with the sensor 110 and the water level lifting module 124.

The water level lifting module 124 is connected to the water cultivating tank 50, which performs a water injection or drainage operation according to the control signal Sc issued by the controller 122, thereby adjusting the water level in the water cultivating tank 50.

The specific configuration of the plant cultivation apparatus and the water level adjusting apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously, in the embodiment, the water level lifting module 124 includes a water level control member WLC and a drain pipe TB. The water level control member WLC is coupled to the controller 122. The water level control member WLC is configured to receive the control signal Sc from the controller 122 and control the drain height of the drain pipe TB by the control signal Sc. In the present embodiment, the water level lifting module 124 uses the principle of the connecting pipe to adjust the water level in the water cultivating tank, that is, the water level of the drain pipe TB controlled by the water level controlling member WLC is connected to the water ploughing connected thereto. The water level in the tank 50 is highly interlocked, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the water level lifting module 124 may also utilize other feasible physical mechanisms to adjust the water level of the water cultivating tank 50.

It is to be noted that, as shown in FIG. 2, the controller 122 of the present embodiment is illustrated as being disposed in the water level control member WLC of the water level lifting module 124, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the controller 122 can also be independently disposed outside the water level lifting module 124. The present invention does not limit the configuration position of the controller 221.

3 is a flow chart of a water level adjusting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The water level adjusting method described in this embodiment can be applied to the plant growing apparatus 100 of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 described above. Here is a description of the configuration of Figure 2. In the arrangement of the hydroponic tank 50 of FIG. 2, the hydroponic tank 50 is a plant PL by using the support body BS as a base of a fixed height, wherein the support body BS is, for example, a water absorbing sponge or a plastic plate with holes. The invention does not limit the kind of the support body BS), and the root system RT of the plant PL grows from the support body BS in the direction of the bottom of the hydroponic tank 50. Further, here, the bottom level of the support body BS is set to the water level reference height BL. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, although the bottom level of the support body BS is set to the water level reference height BL as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the water level reference height BL may also be set to be 3 cm upward or the other height of the bottom of the support body BS, depending on the different needs of the cultivated plants.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 simultaneously, in the water level adjusting method in the embodiment, first, the sensor 110 senses the growth height of the root RT in the hydroponic tank 50, and grows the sense of direction along the root of the plant PL. The lowest level height MIN of the plant PL is measured (step S301). Next, the controller 112 adjusts the water level height WL of the hydroponic tank 50 according to the lowest level height MIN sensed by the sensor 110 (step S302).

Specifically, in an implementation example of step S301, the controller 122 may adjust the position of the sensor 110 to the bottom of the hydroponic tank 50 when it is determined that the root system RT exists in the sensing range of the sensor 110. Move a unit distance in the direction. As a result, the sensor 110 will find a minimum level of height MIN. The sensor 110 can sense the presence of the root system RT above the minimum level height MIN, and the sensor 110 cannot sense the presence of the root system RT below the minimum level height MIN.

In another embodiment of the step S301, the controller 122 can also perform an image processing operation on the height indication signal Smin generated by the sensor 110, thereby identifying that the root system RT of the image sensed by the sensor 110 is the lowest. Point and use it as the lowest level height MIN. In addition, the controller 122 can adjust the position of the sensor 110 according to the difference between the positioning point of one of the sensors 110 and the detected minimum level height MIN, so that the sensor 110 can be linked toward the root system RT. The bottom of the hydroponic tank 50 moves.

That is to say, in the present embodiment, the minimum level height MIN corresponds to the length at which the root system RT of the cultivated plant PL is currently grown. In this embodiment, the height indication signal Smin can be transmitted to the controller 221 by means of wired or wireless transmission. For example, it is transmitted to the controller 122 by a type such as Bluetooth or Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the height indication signal Smin can also be coupled to the controller 122 by a linkable mechanical structure.

In step S303, the controller 122 controls the water level control member WLC to adjust the drain height DL of the drain pipe TB according to the received minimum level height MIN to adjust the water level height WL in the water cultivating tank 50. The specific operation of adjusting the water level height WL in the hydroponic tank 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 4 is a flow chart for adjusting the water level of the hydroponic tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a preset height difference interval in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 again. In the water level adjustment method in this embodiment, the controller 122 controls the overall operation of the water level lifting module 124. In step S401, the aforementioned sensor 110 transmits the delivery to the controller 122 for reception after finding the lowest level height MIN. Next, in step S403, the controller 122 determines whether the height difference DIFF between the lowest level height MIN and the water level reference height BL is within the preset height difference interval. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the preset height difference interval PDD is, for example, a length interval of 3 cm to 10 cm including an end point, wherein 3 cm is a lower limit height difference Dmin and 10 cm is an upper limit height difference Dmax. It is to be noted that the setting method of the preset height difference interval PDD is set depending on conditions such as the plant PL variety cultivated and the depth of the hydroponic tank 50 itself, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, if it is determined in step S403 that the height difference DIFF is within the preset height difference interval PDD, then in step S405, the controller 122 issues a control signal Sc to the water level control member WLC to enable the water level control. The drain height DL of the component WLC control drain TB is the lowest level MIN plus the first height. In the present embodiment, the first height is set to 3 cm of the lower limit height difference Dmin, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first height may be set as needed. Since the water level height WL of the hydroponic tank 50 is adjusted by the principle of the communication pipe in the present embodiment, the drainage height DL is equal to the water level height WL of the hydroponic tank 50. That is to say, in the present embodiment, if the height difference DIFF is within the preset height difference interval PDD, the water level height WL of the hydroponic tank 50 is adjusted to the lowest level height MIN plus the lower limit height difference Dmin 3 The centimeters are so that the roots RT of the plant PL are immersed in water at a height of 3 cm.

In this embodiment, if it is determined in step S403 that the height difference DIFF is not within the preset height difference interval PDD, then in step S407, the controller 122 further determines whether the height difference DIFF is smaller than the preset height difference interval PDD. Lower limit height difference Dmin. If it is judged that the height difference DIFF is smaller than the lower limit height difference Dmin of the preset height difference interval PDD, in this embodiment, the root RT indicating the plant PL is still relatively short. In step S409, the controller 122 controls the height of the water level WL of the water cultivating tank 50 to be equal to the height of the water level reference height BL so that the support body BS just touches the water surface. Among them, the method of adjusting the height of the water level has been described in detail in the foregoing paragraph, and will not be described herein.

In the present embodiment, if it is determined in step S407 that the height difference DIFF is not less than the preset height difference interval PDD, it can be estimated that the height difference DIFF is greater than the preset height difference interval PDD. Thus, in the present embodiment, the growth of the root RT indicating the plant PT has been sufficiently strong. In step S411, the controller 122 periodically controls the water level WL of the hydroponic trough 50 to perform tidal control between the first tidal height and the second tidal height according to a preset tidal cycle.

In this embodiment, the first tidal height is set to the water level reference height BL minus the upper limit height difference Dmax, and the second tidal height is set to 0, that is, the drainage height DL is lowered to a lower level than the bottom of the hydroponic tank 50. To drain all the water in the hydroponic tank 50. In the present embodiment, when the tidal control is performed, the controller 122 controls the water level control member WLC to periodically adjust the drain height DL of the drain pipe TB according to the preset tidal cycle, and periodically adjust the water level WL in the hydroponic tank 50. Between a tidal height and a second tidal height. The preset tidal cycle may be set to, for example, minutes, tens of minutes, or hours depending on the circumstances or depending on the plant PL variety, and the present invention does not limit the preset tidal cycle here.

Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 again. In the present embodiment, the lowest level of the root RT is sensed by the sensor 110 along the growth direction of the root RT of the plant PL to know the growth of the root RT. Thereafter, the water level height WL in the hydroponic tank 50 is automatically adjusted according to different growth conditions. For example, in step S409, since the growth of the root system RT is still relatively short, the water level adjustment method of the present embodiment automatically adjusts the water level height WL of the water cultivating tank 50 to a higher position so that the root system RT can self or borrow Water is absorbed by the substrate BS. For another example, in step S405, since the root system RT is stably growing and has a certain length, the water level adjusting method of the present embodiment automatically adjusts the water level height WL in the water cultivating tank 50 to submerge the root system corresponding to the different planting plant PL. The most suitable height for RT is, for example, 3 cm, so that the root system RT is partially immersed in water under the most appropriate conditions. For another example, in step S411, since the root system RT has grown quite vigorously, the water level adjustment method of the present embodiment starts tidal control to periodically provide the root RT nut of the plant PT, but not for a long time. The root RT is immersed in water to enhance the quality of the plant PL.

In summary, the water level adjusting method, the water level adjusting device and the plant growing device provided by the present invention use a movable sensor to dynamically sense the root growth of the planted plants, and according to the sensed different root systems. The growth condition automatically adjusts the water level of the hydroponic trough which is optimal for different root growth conditions, and automatically allows the plants to grow under optimal conditions. Based on this, the cost of the traditional hydroponic method can be greatly reduced, thereby increasing the competitiveness of the hydroponic cultivation method.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

10‧‧‧plant cultivation equipment
50‧‧‧Hydro trough
100‧‧‧Water level adjustment device
110‧‧‧ Sensor
120‧‧‧Water level adjustment module
122‧‧‧ Controller
124‧‧‧Water level lifting module
BS‧‧‧Base
BL‧‧‧ water level reference height
Dmax‧‧‧ upper height difference
Dmin‧‧‧ lower limit height difference
DL‧‧‧Drainage height
DIFF‧‧‧ height difference
MIN‧‧‧minimum height
PDD‧‧‧Preset height difference interval
PL‧‧‧ plants
RT‧‧‧ root system
Steps for S301, S302‧‧‧ water level adjustment method
S401, S403, S405, S407, S409, S411‧‧‧ steps to adjust the water level of the hydroponic tank
Sc‧‧‧ control signal
Smin‧‧‧ height indication signal
TB‧‧‧Drainage pipe
WL‧‧‧ water level
WLC‧‧‧ water level control component

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flow chart of a water level adjusting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flow chart of adjusting the water level of a hydroponic tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a preset height difference interval in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Steps for S301, S303‧‧‧ water level adjustment method

Claims (10)

A water level adjusting method for a water cultivating tank, wherein the water cultivating tank is suitable for cultivating a plant, the water level adjusting method comprising: sensing a minimum level of the plant along a root growth direction of the plant by a sensor; The water level of the hydroponic tank is adjusted according to the minimum level. The water level adjusting method of the hydroponic tank according to claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the water level in the water cultivating tank according to the minimum level includes: determining one of the lowest level and a water level reference height Whether the height difference is within a predetermined height difference interval; and if the height difference is within the preset height difference interval, adjusting the water level height to the lowest level height plus a first height. The method for adjusting the water level of the hydroponic tank according to claim 2, further comprising: if the height difference is less than a lower limit height difference of the preset height difference interval, adjusting the water level height to the water level reference height. The method for adjusting the water level of the hydroponic tank according to claim 3, further comprising: if the height difference is greater than an upper limit height difference of the preset height difference interval, periodically adjusting the water level according to a tidal cycle Between a first tidal height and a second tidal height. The water level adjusting method of the hydroponic tank according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the step of adjusting the water level in the hydroponic tank according to the minimum level comprises: providing a drain pipe connecting the bottom of the hydroponic tank; And adjusting a drain height of the drain pipe according to the minimum level. The utility model relates to a water level adjusting device, which is suitable for adjusting a water level height of a water cultivating tank, wherein the water cultivating tank is suitable for cultivating a plant, the water level adjusting device comprises: a sensor for sensing a minimum level of the plant And generating a height indication signal; and a water level adjustment module connected to the water cultivating tank and the sensor, receiving the height indication signal, thereby adjusting the water level height according to the minimum level. The water level adjusting device according to claim 6, wherein the water level adjusting module comprises: a water level lifting module connected to the water tank for performing a water injection or drainage operation according to a control signal, thereby adjusting the water tank The height of the water level; and a controller connected to the sensor and the water level lifting module for providing the control signal according to the height indicating signal to control the operation of the water level lifting module, wherein the controller calculates And determining a height difference between the lowest level height and a water level reference height, determining whether the height difference is within a preset height difference interval, and adjusting the water level height in the water cultivating tank based on the determination result. The water level adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to control the sensor to move along a root growth direction of the plant to sense the minimum level of the plant. The water level adjusting device of claim 7, wherein the water level lifting module comprises: a drain pipe connecting the bottom of the water cultivating tank; and a water level control member coupled to the controller for The control signal provided by the controller adjusts a drain height of the drain. A plant cultivation apparatus comprising: a water cultivating tank adapted to cultivate a plant, wherein the water cultivating tank has a bottom and a side wall; and a water level adjusting device connecting the water cultivating tank for adjusting the water cultivating tank a water level adjusting device, wherein the water level adjusting device comprises: a sensor movably disposed along the side wall of the water cultivating groove for sensing a minimum level of the plant; and a water level adjusting module connected to The water cultivating tank and the sensor are configured to adjust the water level in the water cultivating tank according to the minimum level.