Vapor pressure deficit sensor

Abstract

A VPD sensor for a horticultural environment is provided. The VPD sensor includes an upper housing, a lower housing, and a vapor pressure deficit sensing module. A lower housing is coupled with the upper housing and includes a lower side wall and a bottom wall that cooperate to define an interior. The vapor pressure deficit sensing module is coupled to the lower housing and disposed inside the lower housing. The upper housing and the lower housing are spaced apart from each other along a centerline to define an air gap therebetween in fluid communication with the interior. The lower sidewall defines an opening in fluid communication with the interior and cooperates with the interior and the air gap to define a fluid path extending through the interior and between the opening and the air gap.

Description

[0001] Citation of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 424,106, filed on Nov. 9, 2022, and the entire patent application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The devices described below generally relate to Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) sensors for horticultural environments. In particular, the VPD sensors can be configured to detect environmental parameters of a soil substrate to notify a user when the environmental parameters are out of range. Background Art

[0004] When plants grow in an indoor horticultural environment (such as a greenhouse), the vapor pressure deficit of the surrounding atmosphere can affect the viability and growth of the plants. A vapor pressure deficit sensor can be installed in the indoor horticultural environment, which detects the vapor pressure deficit and provides an indicator to the user to allow the user to intervene when the vapor pressure deficit exceeds the desired range. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] Various embodiments will be better understood with reference to the following description, the appended claims, and the drawings, in which:[[]]END]]

[0006] Figure 1 is an upper front isometric view depicting the VPD sensor;

[0007] Figure 2 is depicting Figure 1 a lower front isometric view of the VPD sensor;

[0008] Figure 3 is Figure 1 an exploded view of the VPD sensor;

[0009] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the VPD sensor associated with a remote control; and Figure 1 is

[0010] Figure 5 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0011] Embodiments are described in detail below in connection with Figures 1-5 the views and examples, where the same numbers indicate the same or corresponding elements in all views. A Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) sensor 10 is generally depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2 and is shown as including an upper housing 12 and a lower housing 14 coupled together. The upper housing 12 may include an outer shroud 16, and the outer shroud 16 includes side walls 18 and a top wall 20(Figure 1 )。The electrical connector 22 and a pair of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 24( Figure 1 ) may be disposed at the top wall 20, and the lamp ring 26 may be disposed below the side wall 18 and may extend circumferentially around the side wall 18. The lower housing 14 may include a side wall 28 and a bottom wall 30( Figure 2 )。The side wall 28 may support the display 32, and the bottom wall 30 may support the button 34( Figure 2 )。

[0012] Now referring to Figure 3 , the inner shield 36 may be disposed within the inner cavity 38 defined by the outer shield 16 and may cooperate with the outer shield 16 to support a printed circuit board (PCB) 40. The PCB 40 may electrically support the electrical connector 22 and a pair of LEDs 24. The PCB 40 may be clamped between the inner shield 36 and the lamp ring 26. The outer shield 16, the inner shield 36, the PCB 40, and the lamp ring 26 may be fixed together with screws (not shown) that extend through the lamp ring 26, the PCB 40, and the inner shield 36 and are screwed into the supports 46 extending from the outer shield 16. The bottom wall 30 cooperates with the side wall 28 to define the interior 52. The side wall 28 may define an opening 54 for receiving the display 32. The PCB 56 may be at least partially disposed within the interior 52. The PCB 56 may electrically support the display 32 as well as the VPD sensing module 58. The PCB 56 may be electrically connected to the PCB 40 via the electrical connector 60. The PCB 56 may be clamped between the lamp ring 26 and the bottom wall 30. The bottom wall 30 may be coupled to the lamp ring 26 with screws (not shown) that extend through the bottom wall 30 and are screwed into the posts 62 extending from the lamp ring 26. The attachment of the bottom wall 30 to the lamp ring 26 may facilitate coupling of the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 14 together.

[0013] Now referring to Figure 4 , a schematic view of the VPD sensor 10 and the remote control 70 is shown and will now be described. The VPD sensor 10 may be powered by a power bus 72 that is electrically coupled to the remote control 70 and receives power from the remote control 70. The power bus 72 may be powered by an input power source for powering the remote control 70, typically 120VAC. In one embodiment, the remote control 70 may include an internal transformer (not shown) that converts the input power received by the remote control 70 into a rated power, typically DC power, for powering the VPD sensor 10. It should be understood that the VPD sensor 10 may additionally or alternatively be powered by an external power source that is routed directly to the VPD sensor 10 and thus bypasses the remote control 70. The VPD sensor 10 may be communicatively coupled to the remote control 70 via a controller area network (CAN) communication bus 74 such that the remote control 70 may communicate with the VPD sensor 10 via the CAN protocol, as will be described in further detail below.

[0014] A cable (not shown) can be provided that houses both the power bus 72 and the CAN bus 74 and is inserted into each of the VPD sensor 10 and the remote controller 70. The electrical connector 22( Figure 1 ) can enable the cable to be coupled to the VPD sensor 10. The electrical connector 22 can be any of a variety of connection types, such as a CNT-13 type connector, a Wieland type connector, an RJ-45 connector, a push-pull connector, or a quick-lock connector. It should be understood that the remote controller 70 can also include an electrical connector (not shown) that allows the remote controller 70 to be electrically and communicatively coupled to the cable. It should be understood that although only one VPD sensor 10 is shown as being connected to the remote controller 70, the remote controller 70 can support multiple VPD sensors that are connected together via a cable (i.e., daisy-chained together) and are powered and communicate with the remote controller 70 in a manner similar to that described herein for the VPD sensor 10. An example of the remote controller 70 is shown and described in PCT Publication No. WO2022 / 266475, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0015] Still referring to Figure 4 , the VPD sensing module 58 can be configured to facilitate monitoring of the vapor pressure deficit as a function of temperature and humidity in the ambient air, as will be described in further detail below. The on-board controller 82 can communicate signals with the VPD sensing module 58 and can be configured to process the sensor data received therefrom, as described in more detail below. The on-board controller 82 can be embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, the on-board controller 82 can be embodied as a single-core or multi-core processor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor, a processor with a pipeline, a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other processor or processing / control circuit or controller.

[0016] The VPD sensing module 58 may include a humidity sensing module 84 and a temperature sensing module 86. Each of the humidity sensing module 84 and the temperature sensing module 86 communicates signals with the on-board controller 82, such that the on-board controller 82 effectively communicates signals with the VPD sensing module 58 as a whole by communicating signals with each of the humidity sensing module 84 and the temperature sensing module 86. The humidity sensing module 84 may be configured to measure the humidity in the surrounding air and provide the humidity measurement as humidity data (e.g., via a transmitted analog or digital signal). The humidity sensing module 84 may use any of a variety of currently known or later developed techniques to measure the humidity in the surrounding air. The temperature sensing module 86 may be configured to measure the temperature in the surrounding air and provide the temperature measurement as temperature data (e.g., via a transmitted analog or digital signal). The temperature sensing module 86 may use any of a variety of currently known or later developed techniques to measure the temperature in the surrounding air.

[0017] Then, the on-board controller 82 may use the humidity data and the temperature data from the humidity sensing module 84 and the temperature sensing module 86 to calculate the VPD value of the surrounding air. In one embodiment, the on-board controller 82 may utilize a look-up table that maps different humidity and temperature values to specific VPD values. In some cases, the on-board controller 82 may take the average of different humidity and temperature measurements received over a discrete time period to account for any erroneous measurements that may be present in some of the individual humidity and temperature measurements during that discrete time period.

[0018] The on-board controller 82 may communicate signals with the lamp ring 26. When the VPD value is within the desired range, the on-board controller 82 may cause the lamp ring 26 to be illuminated with a colored light (such as green light), which indicates to the user that the VPD value of the surrounding air is acceptable. When the VPD value is outside the desired range, the on-board controller 82 may cause the lamp ring 26 to be illuminated with a different colored light (such as red light), which indicates to the user that the VPD value is unacceptable. In one embodiment, the lamp ring 26 may include a plurality of LEDs (not shown) distributed throughout the lamp ring 26, which enables the lamp ring 26 to effectively emit light in a specific color specified by the on-board controller 82. It should be understood that the humidity measurement value and / or the temperature measurement value may additionally or alternatively cause the lamp ring 26 to be illuminated with different colors depending on whether these measurements are within the desired range. It should also be understood that although the lamp ring is described, any of a variety of suitable alternative indicating devices may be envisioned, such as a single LED.

[0019] The airborne controller 82 can also communicate signals with the display 32. The airborne controller 82 can cause one or more of the humidity level, temperature, or VPD value to be displayed on the display 32 for presentation to the user. In one embodiment, the humidity level, temperature, and / or VPD value displayed on the display 32 can be updated in real time. The display 32 can be an LCD screen, a segmented display, or any other type of display capable of presenting a digital representation of the humidity level, temperature, and / or VPD value to the user.

[0020] The airborne controller 82 can communicate signals with the CAN communication module 88, which is communicatively coupled to the CAN bus 74 and is configured to communicate with the remote controller 70 using the CAN architecture. The CAN architecture can facilitate two-way communication between the VPD sensor 10 and the remote controller 70 and between the VPD sensors themselves. The remote controller 70 can poll the VPD sensor 10 for humidity data, temperature data, and / or VPD data, which can include the humidity level, temperature, and / or VPD value and an indication of whether one or more of these values are outside a predetermined range. The airborne controller 82 can respond accordingly with a response message that is sent to the remote controller 70 and includes the specific data requested by the remote controller 70. In response, the remote controller 70 can cause the humidity level, temperature, and / or VPD value to be displayed on its native screen (not shown), and / or can generate an alert for the user if any of these values are outside their predefined range.

[0021] The CAN architecture can also allow the remote controller 70 to detect problems with the health of the VPD sensor 10. If the remote controller 70 detects a problem with the health of one or more of the VPD sensors 10 (e.g., based on a response message from the VPD sensor 10), such as a communication problem or as a result of a fault code transmitted by the remote controller 70 to the CAN bus 74, then the remote controller 70 can notify the user of the problematic VPD sensor by activating an indicator (e.g., a light or an audible sound) on the problematic VPD sensor (e.g., one of the LEDs 24), activating an indicator on surrounding VPD sensors (e.g., intermittently illuminating an indicator on a VPD sensor adjacent to the problematic VPD sensor (e.g., the immediately upstream or downstream sensor)), and / or displaying the unique ID of the problematic VPD sensor on its local display.

[0022] Still referring to Figure 4, the VPD sensor 10 may include a transformer module 90 that is electrically connected to the power bus 72 on one side and to each of the VPD sensing module 58 and the on-board controller 82 on the other side to facilitate powering them from the power bus 72. The transformer module 90 may be configured to convert the power from the power bus 72 into available power for powering the VPD sensing module 58 and the on-board controller 82. In one embodiment, the transformer module 90 may be configured to generate different DC voltages (e.g., 5VDC, 12VDC, 15VDC) for powering the VPD sensing module 58 and the on-board controller 82. In one embodiment, the transformer module 90 may include an isolated DC / DC converter. The power management module 92 may be provided downstream of the transformer module 90 and may be configured to condition the power signal before it reaches the VPD sensing module 58 and the on-board controller 82 from the transformer module 90.

[0023] Now referring to Figure 5 , the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 14 may be spaced apart from each other along the outer perimeter Pl ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 ) and relative to the centerline C such that the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 14 cooperate to define an air gap 94 therebetween that is in fluid communication with the interior 52 of the lower housing 14. In particular, the air gap 94 may be defined by the lowermost portion of the upper housing 12 at the perimeter Pl and the uppermost portion of the lower housing 14 at the perimeter Pl. In one embodiment, as Figure 5 shown, the lowermost portion of the upper housing 12 is shown to be defined by the lamp ring 26 and the uppermost portion of the lower housing 14 is shown to be defined by the sidewall 28 such that the air gap 94 is defined by the lamp ring 26 and the sidewall 28. In such an embodiment, the sidewall 28 may be laterally spaced from the lamp ring 26 (e.g., in a direction perpendicular to the centerline C) such that the air gap 94 can extend downward from the upper housing 12 and into the interior 52. However, it should be understood that the definition of the air gap 94 should not be limited to Figure 5 that shown. For example, in an embodiment where the upper housing 12 may not have a lamp ring (e.g., 26), another portion of the upper housing 12 (such as the sidewall 18) may cooperate with the lower housing 14 to define the air gap. Additionally, although the air gap 94 is shown to extend completely circumferentially around the VPD sensor 10, the air gap 94 may only extend partially circumferentially around the VPD sensor 10.

[0024] The sidewall 28 of the lower housing 14 may define a pair of openings 96 that are disposed below the air gap 94 (e.g., when viewed relative to the centerline C) and are in fluid communication with the interior 52. Each opening 96 may cooperate with the air gap 94 to permit ambient air to flow along a fluid path F through the interior 52, the fluid path F extending into the interior 52 and extending between the opening 96 and the air gap 94. The openings 96 may be disposed on opposite sides of the sidewall 28. In one embodiment, each opening 96 may extend circumferentially along a portion of the sidewall 28.

[0025] The sidewall 28 of the lower housing 14 may include an upper portion 100 disposed adjacent to the upper housing 12 and a lower portion 102 disposed adjacent to the bottom wall 30. The upper portion 100 and the lower portion 102 may be spaced apart from each other and may thus cooperate to define the opening 96 such that the fluid path F at the opening 96 travels between the upper portion 100 and the lower portion 102. The PCB 56 may be positioned relative to the upper and lower portions 100, 102 such that the VPD sensing module 58 is disposed in the interior 52 adjacent to the lower portion 102.

[0026] Because the lower portion 102 is disposed below the opening 96, when ambient air is introduced through the opening 96 and flows through the lower portion 102, the ambient air may be at least partially diverted into the lower portion 102 before it exits through the air gap 94. This diversion into the lower portion 102 may cause the ambient air to take a tortuous path through the lower portion 102, which effectively mixes the ambient air within the interior 52. The mixed air may enhance the cooling of the electrical components air and may mitigate the occurrence of humidity and temperature "hot spots" at the VPD sensing module 58 that may cause erroneous humidity and temperature detection. Additionally, by positioning the VPD sensing module 58 toward the bottom of the lower portion 102, the mixed air reaching the VPD module 58 is more likely to be more thoroughly mixed, which may further enhance the accuracy of the VPD sensing module 58.

[0027] Still referring to Figure 5 , the upper portion 100 is shown as being laterally offset (e.g., in a direction perpendicular to the centerline C) relative to the lower portion 102 such that the perimeter P2 of the upper portion 100 at the opening 96 (see Figure 1 and Figure 2)Greater than the perimeter P3 of the lower part 102 at the opening 96. Accordingly, the upper part 100 can effectively serve as a cover that hangs over the lower part 102 such that the opening 96 faces the bottom wall 30. When ambient air is introduced from below the VPD sensor 10, the ambient air is urged to flow into the opening 96 and through the interior 52 rather than around the VPD sensor 10 (e.g., via the chimney effect). For example, when the ambient air rises around the VPD sensor 10 (e.g., due to a conventional current), the upper part 100 can urge the rising air to enter the opening 96 as it passes along the lower part 102. Additionally, during operation of the VPD sensor 10, heat generated by the internal electrical components can cause the interior 52 to be hotter than the ambient air, which can further urge the ambient air to be drawn through the opening 96 and into the interior 52.

[0028] Now refer to Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the bottom wall 30 can include a pair of vent holes 104 that are in fluid communication with the interior 52. The vent holes 104 can allow further introduction of ambient air into the interior 52 to enhance the cooling effect of the ambient air relative to the internal electrical components of the VPD sensor 10 and / or enhance the mixing of the ambient air introduced into the interior 52.

[0029] The foregoing description of the embodiments and examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the forms described. Many modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed, and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to illustrate various embodiments. Of course, the scope is not limited to the examples or embodiments set forth herein, but may be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Instead, the scope is hereby intended to be defined by the appended claims. Moreover, for any method claimed and / or described, whether the method is described in conjunction with a flowchart or not, it should be understood that unless the context otherwise indicates or requires, any explicit or implicit ordering of the steps performed in the execution of the method does not mean that those steps must be performed in the order presented, and can be performed in a different order or in parallel.

Claims

1. A vapor pressure deficit sensor for a horticultural environment, the vapor pressure deficit sensor comprising: An upper housing; A lower housing, the lower housing being coupled to the upper housing and including a lower sidewall and a bottom wall, the lower sidewall and the bottom wall cooperating to define an interior; And A vapor pressure deficit sensing module, the vapor pressure deficit sensing module being coupled to the lower housing and disposed within the interior, wherein: The upper housing and the lower housing are spaced apart from each other along a centerline to define an air gap therebetween that is in fluid communication with the interior; And The lower sidewall defines an opening that is in fluid communication with the interior and cooperates with the interior and the air gap to define a fluid path that extends through the interior and between the opening and the air gap.

2. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 1, wherein the lower sidewall comprises: An upper portion adjacent to the upper housing; And A lower portion adjacent to the bottom wall, wherein the upper portion is laterally offset from the lower portion with respect to the centerline; And The opening is defined by the upper portion and the lower portion of the sidewall.

3. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 2, wherein the opening extends circumferentially along at least a portion of the lower sidewall.

4. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 1, wherein the air gap extends circumferentially around the upper housing and the lower housing.

5. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 4, wherein the air gap extends completely circumferentially around the upper housing and the lower housing.

6. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 1, wherein the upper housing further comprises: An upper sidewall; And A lamp ring, the lamp ring being attached to the upper sidewall adjacent to the lower housing such that the lamp ring at least partially defines the air gap.

7. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 6, wherein the lamp ring travels completely circumferentially around the upper sidewall.

8. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall defines a vent that is in fluid communication with the interior of the lower housing.

9. A vapor pressure deficit sensor for a horticultural environment, the vapor pressure deficit sensor comprising: A humidity sensing module configured to measure the humidity of the surrounding air; A temperature sensing module configured to measure the temperature of the surrounding air; An on-board controller that signals communicates with the humidity sensing module and the temperature sensing module and is configured to determine a vapor pressure deficit value based on the measured humidity and the measured temperature; And A CAN communication module that signals communicates with the on-board controller and is configured to facilitate two-way communication with a remote controller via a controller area network architecture, wherein the on-board controller is configured to send one or more of the humidity measurement value, the temperature measurement value, or the vapor pressure deficit value to the remote controller via the CAN communication module.

10. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 9, further comprising a display screen configured to display information about the environmental parameters.

11. A vapor pressure deficit sensor for a horticultural environment, the vapor pressure deficit sensor comprising: An upper housing; A lower housing, the lower housing being coupled to the upper housing and including a lower sidewall and a bottom wall, the lower sidewall and the bottom wall cooperating to define an interior; and a vapor pressure deficit sensing module, the vapor pressure deficit sensing module being coupled to the lower housing and disposed within the interior, the vapor pressure deficit sensing module including: a humidity sensing module configured to measure the humidity of the ambient air; a temperature sensing module configured to measure the temperature of the ambient air; an on-board controller in signal communication with the humidity sensing module and the temperature sensing module and configured to determine a vapor pressure deficit value based on the measured humidity and the measured temperature; and a CAN communication module in signal communication with the on-board controller and configured to facilitate two-way communication with a remote controller via a controller area network architecture, wherein the on-board controller is configured to send one or more of the humidity measurement value, the temperature measurement value, or the vapor pressure deficit value to the remote controller via the CAN communication module, wherein: the upper housing and the lower housing are spaced apart from each other along a centerline to define an air gap therebetween that is in fluid communication with the interior; and the lower sidewall defines an opening that is in fluid communication with the interior and cooperates with the interior and the air gap to define a fluid path extending through the interior and between the opening and the air gap.

12. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 11, wherein the lower sidewall includes: an upper portion adjacent to the upper housing; and a lower portion adjacent to the bottom wall, wherein the upper portion is laterally offset from the lower portion with respect to the centerline; and the opening is defined by the upper and lower portions of the sidewall.

13. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 12, wherein the opening extends circumferentially along at least a portion of the lower sidewall.

14. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 11, wherein the air gap extends circumferentially around the upper housing and the lower housing.

15. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 14, wherein the air gap extends completely circumferentially around the upper housing and the lower housing.

16. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 11, wherein the upper housing further includes: an upper sidewall; and a light ring attached to the upper sidewall adjacent to the lower housing such that the light ring at least partially defines the air gap.

17. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 16, wherein the light ring travels completely circumferentially around the upper sidewall.

18. The vapor pressure deficit sensor according to claim 11, wherein the bottom wall defines a vent that is in fluid communication with the interior of the lower housing.

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