Photoperiod manipulation

Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed herein include an apparatus comprising: a user interface configured to receive user input; and a photoperiod controller configured to calculate, based on the user input, a photoperiod schedule for one or more plants, and generate control signals that regulate light output of at least one luminaire to implement the photoperiod schedule.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is an international application of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 009,520, filed on April 14, 2020, entitled “Optical Periodic Manipulation,” and claims priority to that U.S. patent application, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The subject of this disclosure generally relates to lighting, and more specifically to lighting systems for gardening. Background Technology

[0004] Illuminators and artificial light sources that emit light suitable for photosynthesis in plants are known. They are sometimes called grow lights because they can, but do not necessarily, produce light with a characteristic spectrum like that of the sun. Grower lights can be based on a variety of technologies, including but not limited to incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, and LEDs (light-emitting diodes). Typical implementations may include a timer that automatically turns the grow light on and off at a set time each day to control the number of hours the plant is exposed to the generated light daily.

[0005] Photoperiod refers to the period of time each day during which an organism receives or does not receive light. Photoperiodism is a plant's response to the duration of daylight (light cycle) and nighttime (dark cycle). This phenomenon affects different plant responses, such as developmental stages, reproductive (flowering) stages, vegetative growth stages, and dormancy stages. This discovery led to the creation of photoperiodic categories of plants based on their response to the duration of day length. Photoperiodic categories include short-day plants, long-day plants, day-neutral plants, mesoproterozoic plants, and doubly induced plants. These categories are the most studied and commercially produced.

[0006] A plant's photoperiodic response depends not only on the length of the year (natural day length) but also on its growth stage. For example, long-day plants (i.e., plants that begin to flower when there are short days following long days) maintain nutrition under long days (16-18 hours of daylight and 6-8 hours of darkness). This can be noted as 18 / 6 or 16 / 8. When a long-day plant transitions to the flowering stage of growth, the light or dark cycle changes to 12 hours, and the light cycle is also 12 hours. Thus, the plant has received "long days" for a specific period and is then given "short days" for another specific period. This combination of various lighting durations over time causes the plant to begin flowering and reproducing in a long-day manner. Most plant types are photoperiodic dependent. In photoperiodic dependent plants, very specific periods of exposure to light timing are the factors that trigger various plants to enter their life cycle stages. Plant varieties are often bred to require very specific photoperiodic durations in order to produce abundant harvests during specific seasonal growth windows. Some plants do not respond to photoperiod when they are in their very young (juvenile) stage because at this stage, the plant still has the ability to properly sense day length. Such plants flower based solely on their age rather than light exposure, and these plants are called day-neutral plants.

[0007] Importantly, each plant is exposed to sufficient light based on its photoperiod category, but not excessive light. For example, long-day plants require days longer than their critical day length to prevent reproduction, while short-day plants will flower during a shorter day length (longer dark period) when a shorter day length was preceding a long day (shorter dark period). In indoor farming environments, due to the lack of a natural day / night cycle, the photoperiod of plants must be recreated. Therefore, photoperiod is artificial. Typically, this has been done manually. However, this requires a significant amount of work from the grower to ensure that each plant receives sufficient sunlight daily based on its photoperiod category and growth stage. Therefore, what is needed in this field is a more efficient method for applying and manipulating photoperiod in indoor farming environments to effectively maximize production. Summary of the Invention

[0008] All examples, aspects, and features mentioned in this document can be combined in any technically possible manner. Various implementations described herein include [TBD].

[0009] These and other features will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Each identical or nearly identical component shown in the various drawings may be represented by the same numbers. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an illumination system for optical periodic manipulation according to various embodiments.

[0011] Figure 2 Optical periodic scheduling according to various implementations is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 3 The process for optical periodic manipulation according to various embodiments is shown.

[0013] These and other features of this embodiment will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an illumination system for optical periodic manipulation according to various embodiments. The illumination system may include an optical periodic controller 100, a user interface 102, a communication gateway 104, and transceivers 1061 to 106. n Lighting fixtures 1081 to 108 n And one or more sensors 118. The photoperiod controller 100 may include any of a wide variety of computing devices having a processor, volatile memory, and non-volatile memory. In some embodiments, the photoperiod controller 100 includes a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) that has been ruggedized and is suitable for use in humid and damp environments. The user interface 102 may include one or more of a touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, and display for interface communication with a photoperiod control program running on the photoperiod controller 100. The communication gateway 104 connected to the photoperiod controller may include a wide variety of network devices, including but not limited to switches, routers, and wireless access points. Transceivers 1061 to 106 n This can include a wide variety of network devices, including but not limited to switches, routers, and WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) interface cards and devices. Communication gateways and transceivers can be part of the communication network. Wireless or wired communication links are maintained between communication gateways 104 and transceivers 1061 to 106. n Between. Lighting fixtures 1081 to 108 n Each of these devices is connected to a corresponding transceiver and emits light suitable for photosynthesis in plants. The illuminator can be configured to emit light at multiple different selectable light output levels (e.g., light intensity, light wavelength, irradiance) in response to a signal from the photoperiod controller 100.

[0015] In response to user input 114 provided via user interface 102, photoperiod controller 100 can calculate and implement photoperiod scheduling for plant 112. Photoperiod scheduling can be, for example, the daily illumination duration for plant 112 during multiple time periods (e.g., weeks) and / or growth stages. Photoperiod scheduling can also include scheduling of light output levels (e.g., light intensity, light wavelength, irradiance) within each time period. For example, photoperiod scheduling can include multiple time periods (e.g., weeks) and / or growth stages, and the photoperiod duration for each time period / growth stage (e.g., 12 hours of illumination per day), as per [reference to...]. Figure 2 As further described, user input 114 may include a crop ID (identifier) ​​116, which indicates one or more of the genus, species, variety, and cultivar of the growing plant. Photoperiod scheduling can be plant-specific, and thus, by selecting a crop ID, photoperiod controller 100 can link an appropriate photoperiod schedule to the plant 112 associated with the selected crop ID. In some embodiments, the crop ID is selected from a menu presented on user interface 102. User input 114 may also include climate parameters, the duration of a growth phase, the duration of a photoperiod cycle, and one or more time periods with corresponding irradiance increments. Photoperiod controller 100 calculates the photoperiod schedule for plant 112 based on crop ID 116 and adjusts the photoperiod schedule based on additional user input, if any. Photoperiod controller 100 then, over a period of time (e.g., days or weeks), via communication gateway 104 and transceivers 1061 to 106... n Send control signals to adjust lighting fixtures 1081 to 108 n The light output 110 is used to implement optical periodicity scheduling to control the illuminators 1081 to 108. n Light output.

[0016] The photoperiod controller 100 can also receive input from one or more sensors 118. Sensors 118 may include, for example, humidity sensors, ambient light sensors, solar radiation sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, water quality sensors (e.g., pH sensors), image or optical sensors, laser scanners, spectral sensors, near-infrared sensors, time-of-flight sensors, depth ranging sensors, air quality sensors, acoustic sensors, air composition sensors, soil or mineral sensors, and any other type of environmental sensor. The photoperiod controller 100 can adjust the photoperiod schedule based on sensor inputs. This can be done when the photoperiod schedule is initially calculated, and also while the photoperiod schedule is being implemented, allowing for real-time dynamic adjustments to the photoperiod schedule. For example, a light sensor can detect solar radiation entering and illuminating plants from a window in an indoor farming environment. The photoperiod controller 100 can adjust the light output of the illuminator to account for solar radiation, so that the plants are illuminated in a manner consistent with the original photoperiod schedule. The photoperiod controller 100 can also adjust the photoperiod schedule based on user input received during the implementation of the photoperiod schedule.

[0017] In some embodiments, the optical periodicity controller 100 may communicate with the server 120 via a communication gateway 104. For example, the server 120 may be a cloud server connected to the optical periodicity controller 100 via a wide area network (e.g., the Internet) or a local area network. In some embodiments, the optical periodicity controller 100 may send user and sensor inputs to the server 120, and the server 120 may calculate and adjust the optical periodicity schedule. The server 120 may then send the optical periodicity schedule back to the optical periodicity controller 100, which generates control signals to implement the optical periodicity schedule and sends the control signals to the illuminator 108.

[0018] Figure 2 Photoperiodic scheduling 200 according to various embodiments is illustrated. The photoperiodic scheduling shown is in human-readable form. A corresponding computer-readable form of the photoperiodic scheduling can be created using any suitable data structure. The crop cycle includes growth stages 202, such as cloning, nutrient production, acclimatization to flowering and flower maturation. The photoperiodic scheduling also includes multiple time periods 206, which in Figure 2 In the example, this is several weeks. Each week is associated with growth stage 202, for example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the cloning stage is associated with weeks 1-2, the vegetative stage with weeks 3-5, the acclimatization to flowering stage with weeks 6-11, and the flowering stage with weeks 12-14.

[0019] Each time period 206 is also associated with a daily photoperiod duration 204; for example, weeks 1–5 (i.e., the cloning and vegetative stages) are associated with a photoperiod of 18 hours / day, while weeks 6–14 (i.e., the acclimatization to flowering and flowering stages) are associated with a photoperiod of 12 hours / day. Thus, the photoperiod scheduling 200 specifies the daily photoperiod duration for a particular crop throughout its various growth stages.

[0020] Photoperiod scheduling 200 can also specify the irradiance for each time period 206. In some embodiments, photoperiod scheduling 200 can be combined with light acclimatization scheduling, which alters the irradiance over time period 206 to allow the plant to adapt to the new irradiance target. The light energy or radiation used by the plant can be measured using PAR (photosynthetically active radiation), where the light falling on the plant surface is measured in PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density), expressed in μmol / m³. 2 The unit is / s.

[0021] Refer again Figure 1 Each illuminator is 1081 to 108 n Each can be individually controlled by the photoperiod controller 100. For example, illuminator 1081 can be associated with channel 1 (ch.1) and illuminator 1062 can be associated with independently controlled channel 2 (ch.2). In some embodiments, different channels are used to implement different photoperiod schedules for different types of plants (e.g., plants with different crop IDs). In some embodiments, different channels are used to implement the same photoperiod schedule for plants with the same crop ID but at different stages of the crop cycle. For example, channel 1 may be in the vegetative growth stage, while channel 2 may be in the flowering stage.

[0022] Figure 3 A process for photoperiod manipulation according to various embodiments is illustrated. Some or all of the steps may be implemented partially or wholly by a photoperiod program running on a photoperiod controller and / or a server connected to the photoperiod controller. Step 300 includes receiving a crop ID as user input. The crop ID indicates one or more of the genus, species, variety, and cultivar of the plant to be grown. Step 302 includes calculating a photoperiod schedule based on the crop ID. Step 304 includes receiving user input and / or sensor input. Input may include sensor data, climate parameters, duration of growth phases, duration of crop cycles, and one or more time periods with corresponding irradiance increments. Step 306 includes adjusting the photoperiod schedule based on the received user and / or sensor input. In some embodiments, no additional user or sensor input may be required, and steps 304 and 306 may therefore be skipped.

[0023] Step 308 includes implementing photoperiod scheduling by controlling the illuminator to emit light output at certain levels, according to the photoperiod scheduling. For example, the photoperiod can send control signals to the illuminator via a communication gateway, and the illuminator can adjust its corresponding light output level according to the photoperiod scheduling. The method can then return to step 304, where the photoperiod controller can receive user and / or sensor input during the implementation of the photoperiod scheduling. The photoperiod controller can adjust the photoperiod scheduling based on user and / or sensor input and implement the adjusted photoperiod scheduling. This allows the photoperiod system to be dynamically adjusted based on real-time events such as changes in the growth environment or user intervention.

[0024] The methods and systems described herein are not limited to any hardware or software configuration, but are applicable to many computing or processing environments. The methods and systems can be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of both. The methods and systems can be implemented in one or more computer programs, wherein the computer program can be understood to include one or more processor-executable instructions. The computer program can execute on one or more programmable processors and can be stored on one or more storage media (including volatile and non-volatile memory and / or storage elements) readable by the processor, one or more input devices, and / or one or more output devices. Thus, the processor can access one or more input devices to obtain input data and can access one or more output devices to transmit output data. Input and / or output devices can include one or more of the following: SSD (Solid State Drive), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), RAM (Random Access Memory), RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), floppy disk drive, CD (CD-ROM), DVD (Digital Video Disc), disk, internal hard disk drive, external hard disk drive, memory stick, or other storage devices accessible by a processor as described herein, wherein these foregoing examples are not exhaustive but illustrative and not limiting.

[0025] One or more computer programs may be implemented using one or more high-level procedural programming languages ​​or object-oriented programming languages ​​to communicate with a computer system; however, if necessary, the programs may be implemented in assembly language or machine language. The languages ​​may be compiled or interpreted.

[0026] As provided herein, the processor can therefore be embedded in one or more devices that can operate independently or together in a networked environment, where the network can include, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or may include an intranet and / or the Internet and / or other networks. The network can be a wired network or a wireless network or a combination of both, and one or more communication protocols can be used to facilitate communication between different processors. The processor can be configured for distributed processing, and in some embodiments, a client-server model may be utilized as needed. Therefore, methods and systems can utilize multiple processors and / or processor devices, and processor instructions can be partitioned among such single or multiple processors / devices.

[0027] Devices or computer systems integrated with processors may include, for example, personal computers, workstations (e.g., Sun, HP), personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices such as cellular phones or smartphones, laptop computers, handheld computers, or other devices capable of being integrated with one or more processors that can operate as described herein. Therefore, the devices described herein are not exhaustive but are provided for illustrative and not limiting purposes.

[0028] References to "a microprocessor" and "a processor," or "the microprocessor" and "the processor," can be understood to include one or more microprocessors that can communicate in independent and / or distributed environments, and are therefore configured to communicate with other processors via wired or wireless communication, wherein such one or more processors can be configured to run on devices (which may be similar or different) controlled by one or more processors. Therefore, the use of such terms "microprocessor" or "processor" can also be understood to include central processing units, arithmetic logic units, application-specific integrated circuits (ICs), and / or task engines, wherein these examples are provided for illustrative purposes and not for limitation.

[0029] Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, references to memory may include one or more processor-readable and accessible memory elements and / or components, which may be located internally or externally to a processor-controlled device, and / or accessible via wired or wireless networks using various communication protocols, and unless otherwise specifically stated, may be arranged to include a combination of external and internal memory devices, which may be contiguous and / or segmented depending on the application. Therefore, references to databases can be understood to include one or more memory unions, wherein such references may include commercially available database products (e.g., SQL, Informix, Oracle) and may also include proprietary databases, and may also include other structures for associative memory (such as links, queues, graphs, trees), which are provided for illustrative purposes and not for limitation.

[0030] Unless otherwise stated, references to networks may include one or more intranets and / or the Internet. Based on the foregoing, references to microprocessor instructions or microprocessor executable instructions herein may be understood to include programmable hardware.

[0031] Unless otherwise stated, the use of the word "substantially" can be interpreted to include precise relationships, conditions, arrangements, orientations and / or other characteristics and deviations thereof as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, such that the degree of such deviation does not materially affect the disclosed methods and systems.

[0032] Throughout this disclosure, unless otherwise specifically stated, the use of the articles "a" and / or "one" and / or "the" to modify nouns may be understood as for convenience and includes one or more modifiers. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that additional elements may exist besides those listed.

[0033] Unless otherwise specified herein, descriptions by way of figures and / or depictions in other ways to communicate with and / or associate with and / or be based on elements, components, modules and / or parts thereof may be understood as communicating, associating and / or being based on one another in a direct and / or indirect manner.

[0034] Some aspects, features, and implementations described herein may include machines and processes (such as computer-implemented steps) such as computers, electronic components, and optical components. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that computer-implemented steps can be stored as computer-executable instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that computer-executable instructions can be executed on a variety of tangible processor devices. For ease of illustration, each step, device, or component that may be part of a computer or data storage system is described herein. These steps, devices, and components will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the teachings of this disclosure and the knowledge generally available to them. Therefore, corresponding machines and processes may be enabled and fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0035] Several features, aspects, examples, and embodiments have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concept described herein. Therefore, such modifications and combinations are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lighting device for gardening, comprising: A user interface configured to receive user input, wherein the user input includes at least one crop identifier that identifies at least one of the genera, species, varieties, and cultivars of one or more plants; and The optical cycle controller is configured as follows: The photoperiod schedule for one or more plants is calculated based on the user input, wherein the photoperiod schedule includes: multiple growth stages and / or time periods for one or more plants; and a photoperiod duration for each of the time periods and / or growth stages; The photoperiod scheduling is adjusted based on additional user input, which includes at least one of the following: climate parameters, duration of the growth phase, duration of the photoperiod cycle, and one or more time periods with corresponding irradiance increments. Generate a control signal that adjusts the light output of at least one illuminator to implement the photoperiod scheduling; and The control signal is transmitted to the at least one illuminator via a communication gateway connected to the optical cycle controller, the communication gateway being communicatively coupled to multiple illuminators via a network.

2. The lighting device for gardening according to claim 1, wherein, The photoperiod controller is also configured to adjust the photoperiod scheduling based on further input from at least one of the sensors.

3. The lighting device for gardening according to claim 2, wherein the photoperiod controller is further configured to dynamically adjust the photoperiod scheduling based on the further input during the implementation of the photoperiod scheduling.

4. The lighting device for horticulture according to claim 1, wherein the photoperiod scheduling further includes the PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) value of each of the plurality of time periods.

5. The lighting device for gardening according to claim 1, wherein, The optical periodicity controller is also configured to: Send the user input to the server; and Receive optical cycle scheduling from the server, wherein the server calculates the optical cycle scheduling.

6. A lighting method for gardening, comprising: User input is received via the controller's user interface for generating a photoperiod schedule for one or more plants, wherein the user input includes at least one crop identifier that identifies at least one of the genera, species, varieties, and cultivars of one or more plants; The photoperiod schedule is calculated based on the user input, wherein the photoperiod schedule includes: multiple growth stages and / or time periods for one or more plants; and a photoperiod duration for each of the time periods and / or growth stages; The photoperiod scheduling is adjusted based on additional user input, which includes at least one of the following: climate parameters, duration of the growth phase, duration of the photoperiod cycle, and one or more time periods with corresponding irradiance increments. Generate a control signal that adjusts the light output of at least one illuminator to implement the photoperiod scheduling; and The control signal is transmitted to the at least one illuminator via a communication gateway connected to the optical cycle controller, the communication gateway being communicatively coupled to multiple illuminators via a network.

7. The lighting method for gardening according to claim 6, further comprising: The optical cycle scheduling is adjusted based on further input from at least one of the user and the sensor.

8. The lighting method for horticulture according to claim 7, wherein adjusting the light period scheduling includes dynamically adjusting the light period scheduling based on the further input during the implementation of the light period scheduling.

9. The lighting method for horticulture according to claim 6, wherein the photoperiod scheduling further includes the PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) value for each of the plurality of time periods.

10. The lighting method for gardening according to claim 6, further comprising: The control signal is transmitted to the at least one illuminator; as well as The light output of the at least one illuminator is adjusted according to the light period scheduling.

11. The lighting method for gardening according to claim 6, wherein: The controller sends the user input to the server; The server calculates the optical cycle schedule and sends the optical cycle schedule to the controller; as well as The controller generates the control signal based on the optical cycle scheduling.

12. A lighting system for gardening, comprising: Lighting device for gardening according to claim 1; Multiple illuminators are configured to emit light suitable for photosynthesis in plants at multiple different selectable light output levels; as well as A communication network, through which the control signal is provided to the plurality of illuminators, the illuminators adjusting the light output in response to the control signal.

13. The lighting system for gardening according to claim 12, wherein, The optical cycle controller is also configured to adjust the optical cycle scheduling based on further input from at least one of the user and the sensor.

14. The lighting system for gardening according to claim 12, further comprising a server communicatively coupled to the photoperiod controller via the communication network, wherein: The controller is also configured to send the user input to the server and receive the optical cycle scheduling from the server; as well as The server is configured to calculate the optical cycle schedule based on the user input.

15. The lighting system for gardening according to claim 14, wherein the server is further configured to adjust the light cycle scheduling based on further input from at least one of the user and sensors.

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