Automatic watering method for orchid potted plants based on weight monitoring
By using an automatic watering system based on weight monitoring, combined with a watering-stop-watering strategy and ventilation and drying, the problem of inaccurate watering of potted orchids in existing technologies has been solved, achieving precise watering and healthy growth, which is suitable for large-scale management.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-10
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, when plant watering systems are used for orchid potted plants, their accuracy is easily affected by orchid-specific potting mixes, and they lack dedicated adjustment logic, resulting in inaccurate watering and problems such as root rot or dehydration.
An automatic watering system based on weight monitoring is adopted. The weighing module monitors the weight of the potted plants, and the control module sets the drying benchmark and periodic weight monitoring to achieve accurate judgment of watering. Combined with the watering-stop-watering logic and ventilation and drying, the system ensures the dry and wet cycle of the planting material.
It enables precise and thorough watering of potted orchids, reduces the risk of root rot, is suitable for large-scale management, reduces human intervention, and improves the healthy growth rate of orchids.
Smart Images
Figure CN122362999A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of orchid cultivation and maintenance technology, specifically to an automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring. Background Technology
[0002] Orchids are extremely sensitive to water conditions. They have physiological characteristics that prefer moist conditions but are susceptible to waterlogging and require a strict cycle of dryness and wetness. Traditional manual watering relies entirely on experience and cannot quantify the timing and amount of watering. This can easily lead to problems such as overwatering causing root rot and stem rot, or underwatering causing hollow roots and weak growth.
[0003] Existing automatic watering solutions for potted plants typically rely on time-delay sensors or soil moisture sensors to automatically control the watering process. However, when applied to orchid potted plant care, the following drawbacks have been observed: 1. Soil moisture sensors are easily affected by the special planting materials for orchids (such as bark, pebbles, expanded clay pebbles, and peat moss), resulting in low measurement accuracy, large errors, and the motor is prone to contamination and aging, requiring frequent maintenance and exhibiting poor long-term stability; 2. Existing weighing watering devices are mostly designed for ordinary flowers and are not optimized for the growth characteristics of orchids. They cannot accurately determine whether the planting material has been thoroughly watered, easily leading to external wetness and internal dryness, internal water shortage, or long-term waterlogging and root rot.
[0004] The existing technology, patent application number CN201320694952.9, entitled "An Intelligent Watering System Based on a Microcontroller," includes a pressure sensor, a microcontroller, a power supply, a relay, a display module, a clock module, a reset module, and a button module. All of these components are connected to the microcontroller. While this system can adjust the watering process using weight parameters, it lacks specific adjustment logic for orchids. Using it for orchid watering could lead to root rot. Although the system discloses the technique of using weight parameters to determine water content, it does not provide technical content on determining whether watering is thorough based on water content. Summary of the Invention
[0005] To address the technical problems of existing plant watering systems being susceptible to the influence of orchid-specific potting mixes and lacking dedicated adjustment logic for orchids when applied to orchid potted cultivation, this invention proposes an automatic watering method for orchid potted plants based on weight monitoring.
[0006] An automatic watering method for orchid potted plants based on weight monitoring is adopted, which uses an automatic watering system. The automatic watering system includes a weighing module for weighing the orchid potted plants and a watering module for watering the orchid potted plants. The watering module includes a watering device that is controlled to start and stop by a control module. The weighing module is signal-connected to the control module. The method includes the following steps: S1: Calibration: When the potting mix in the orchid pot reaches the baseline dryness level, the weight of the orchid pot is measured using a weighing module. The obtained weighing value is recorded as the dry baseline weight W0 in the control module. The control module is set with a weight monitoring cycle T1 and a watering judgment cycle T2, where T2 is an integer multiple of T1. That is, every T1 time interval, a weighing is performed and recorded in the weighing module or control module. T2 is the time interval for judging whether the watering is thorough. That is, the timing starts when the watering device is turned on, and every T2 time interval, a judgment is made on whether the watering is thorough. The control module is set to use a certain time point of the day as the watering start time point, and then proceeds to step S2. S2: Periodic weight monitoring: Record the weight value W every T1 and compare the recorded weight value W with the drought baseline weight W0; S3: Watering: When the weighing value W < drought baseline weight W0 and the watering start time is reached, the watering device is started and watering begins. During the watering process, the following judgment is made every T2: If the change in the weighing value at the beginning and end of each watering judgment cycle is higher than the set value, it is determined that the watering is not thorough and watering continues. If the change in the weighing value is not higher than the set value for at least two consecutive times, it is determined that the watering is thorough and watering stops. S4: Return to step S2.
[0007] Based on the above technical solution, a further step S31 is added between S3 and S4 to perform delayed soaking. The delay time T3 is set in the control module. Starting from the first determination of thorough watering, the watering step S3 is re-executed after a delay of T3 until thorough watering is determined again. Then, the watering device is turned off and watering is stopped.
[0008] Based on the above technical solution, the automatic watering system further includes a ventilation module for drying the leaves and potting soil of orchid potted plants. The ventilation module includes a ventilation device controlled by a control module, which has a set ventilation duration T4. A step S32 is added between S31 and S4 for ventilation and drying. Starting from the point where watering is deemed thorough again, the ventilation device is activated for ventilation and drying, and after a delay of T4, the ventilation device is turned off, stopping ventilation. This method, through a "water-stop-water" watering logic, further ensures that the orchid potting mix is adequately watered, achieving a more ideal and regular wet-dry cycle and promoting healthy orchid growth.
[0009] Even without setting a time delay for soaking, ventilation and drying can still be carried out. That is, a step S33 is added between S3 and S4 to carry out ventilation and drying. Starting from the initial determination of thorough watering, the ventilation device is activated to carry out ventilation and drying. After a time delay of T4, the ventilation device is turned off to stop ventilation.
[0010] The automatic watering system also includes a spray module for spraying water onto the leaves. The spray module includes a spray device controlled by a control module, which sets a spray start time and a spray duration T5. When the spray start time is reached, the spray device is activated, and after a delay of T5, it is deactivated. The spray device can be used for leaf cooling during hot summer months.
[0011] Building upon the aforementioned solution, the control module is further equipped with a reset button. Pressing the reset button clears all weight records, including the drought baseline weight W0. When the potted plant or its potting mix is replaced, the reset function can be used to re-weigh the plant and restart the automatic watering process.
[0012] In addition, a temperature recording module can be added to the automatic watering system, and the control module can automatically set the watering start time based on the temperature recording module's records.
[0013] In the above method, the judgment of the baseline dryness in the first step and the parameter adjustment in the watering method rely relatively on the professional skills of professional maintenance personnel. Once the settings or adjustments are completed, the maintenance steps can be executed automatically without the need for constant intervention by professional maintenance personnel. This effectively reduces the labor intensity of professional maintenance personnel and greatly increases the number of potted plants that a single professional maintenance personnel can maintain per unit of time.
[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention include: by continuously monitoring the weight of the potted plant, this invention determines whether watering should be done and whether the watering should be thorough based on the weight changes, and has developed a watering logic specifically for orchids, achieving the technical effect of precise and thorough watering of orchids. It is not affected by the type of potting mix, has high precision, requires no maintenance, is suitable for large-scale management, and is very suitable for the large-scale maintenance of potted orchids. Attached Figure Description
[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device layout of the automatic orchid watering system of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the signal transmission relationship of the orchid automatic watering system of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the logic block of the automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to the present invention.
[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the device layout of the automatic orchid watering system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
[0019] The components in the diagram are labeled as follows: 1-Watering module, 2-Spraying module, 3-Weighing module, 4-Ventilation module, 5-Control module, 6-Base, 7-Support, 8-Orchid pot, 9-Temperature recording module, 11-Watering device, 22-Spraying device, 33-Weighing device, 44-Ventilation device. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The present invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Specific implementation methods of control logic and components not mentioned in this invention can be referenced from existing technologies related to automatic watering methods for potted plants, such as those mentioned in CN201320694952.9. Example
[0021] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The orchid bonsai 8 includes a flowerpot placed on a base 6. The base 6 is hooked to a support 7 by a suspended weighing device 33. The weighing device 33 has a built-in high-precision weight sensor, which can weigh the orchid bonsai and transmit the measured weight value to the control module 5 via a data cable. A watering device 1 and a ventilation device 4 are arranged above the bonsai. The watering device 1 can be used to water the planting material in the flowerpot to increase the moisture content of the planting material. The ventilation device 4 can be used to make the leaves and the surface of the pot of the orchid bonsai dry quickly. The watering device 1 and the ventilation device 4 can be set on the support 7 or installed with other supports or hangers.
[0022] The control module 5 has a built-in clock module and is connected to the watering module 11, the ventilation module 44 and the weighing module 33. The watering module 11 controls the watering device 1 to start and stop according to the instructions of the control module 5 to perform the action of watering the orchid pot. The ventilation module 44 controls the ventilation device 4 to start and stop according to the instructions of the control module 5.
[0023] The present invention provides an automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring, employing the aforementioned automatic watering system. The method includes the following steps: S1: Calibration: When the potting mix in the orchid pot reaches the baseline dryness level, the weight of the orchid pot 6 is measured using the weighing module 3. The obtained weighing value is recorded as the dry baseline weight W0 in the control module 5. The control module 5 is set with a weight monitoring cycle T1 and a watering judgment cycle T2, where T2 is an integer multiple of T1. The control module 5 is also set with a delay duration T3 and a ventilation duration T4. The control module 5 is set to use a certain time point in a day as the watering start time point, and then proceeds to step S2. S2: Periodic weight monitoring: Record the weight value W every T1 and compare the recorded weight value W with the drought baseline weight W0; S3: Watering: When the weighing value W < drought baseline weight W0 and the watering start time is reached, the watering device 1 is started and watering begins. During the watering process, the following judgment is made every T2: If the change in the weighing value at the beginning and end of the watering judgment cycle is higher than the set value K, it is determined that the watering is not thorough and watering continues. If the change in the weighing value is not higher than the set value for at least two consecutive times, it is determined that the watering is thorough, the watering device 1 is turned off, and watering stops. In step S3, the change in the weighing value is denoted as ΔW. Let the starting weighing value of a watering judgment cycle be Wa1 and the ending weighing value be Wb1. Then the change in the weighing value of this cycle is ΔW1 = Wb1 - Wa1. The starting weighing value of the next watering judgment cycle is Wa2 = Wb1 and the ending weighing value is Wb2. Then the change in the weighing value of this cycle is ΔW2 = Wb2 - Wa2 = Wb2 - Wb1. Therefore, two consecutive times not exceeding the set value means that both ΔW1 and ΔW2 are not higher than the set value. S31: Delayed soaking. Starting from the first determination of thorough watering, after a delay of T3, the watering step S3 is executed again until the watering is determined to be thorough again. Then, the watering device 1 is turned off and watering is stopped. S32: Ventilation and drying. Starting from the second determination of thorough watering, the ventilation device 4 is activated for ventilation and drying. After a delay of T4, the ventilation device 4 is turned off to stop ventilation. S4: Return to step S2.
[0024] The method is based on the following considerations: When the potting mix in an orchid pot reaches the baseline dryness level for the first time, it can be done by an experienced orchid professional grower. For orchid pots, due to the special nature of their potting mix, in order to avoid the error of using a humidity sensor to judge the moisture content, it is more accurate to use the weight change value of the pot to judge the degree of water loss or absorption of the potting mix. Continuous automatic watering can be achieved through periodic monitoring. For orchids in a certain growth stage, the watering time usually needs to be determined according to the season in order to maintain them healthier. Therefore, the dryness of the potting mix combined with the watering start time will be used as the basis for judging watering. If the water content continues to increase during watering, it indicates that the potting mix in the pot is continuously absorbing water. When the absorbed water stops increasing after a period of time, it means that the pot is thoroughly watered. At this point, the weight change before and after a single weighing cycle approaches zero. It is necessary to give the potting mix sufficient time to absorb water during watering, while also allowing for appropriate weight changes to make a judgment. Therefore, the watering judgment cycle T2 is set to be at least equal to or longer than the weight monitoring cycle T1. To facilitate recording and judgment, T2 is set to an integer multiple of T1. Since the weighing sensor may be affected by wind or other disturbances, causing the obtained weighing value to deviate from the actual value, it is set that the weight change must not exceed the set value for at least two consecutive times before it is determined to be thoroughly watered. This can accurately identify whether the orchid is lacking watering time and the state of the potting mix. The above method avoids the randomness of manually observing the moisture level of the potting mix and watering, and can eliminate the influence of environmental disturbance factors on the accuracy of weight-based judgments. It is more scientific and regular, thus establishing a special moisture cycle mechanism suitable for orchids. It automatically and quantitatively controls the moisture level of the orchid potting mix over time, effectively reducing the probability of root rot and stem rot, and realizing unmanned, automated, and standardized watering, which can improve the survival rate and seedling rate of orchids.
[0025] This invention utilizes a watering thoroughness judgment algorithm based on weight parameters, combined with a "water-stop-water" watering strategy designed specifically for orchids. Furthermore, the watering system incorporates a dry-wet cycle and ventilation linkage, achieving thorough watering without waterlogging, thus reducing the risk of root rot. It is suitable for large-scale management scenarios such as greenhouses and solves the technical problems of existing plant watering systems where accuracy is easily affected by the special planting materials for orchids and lacks dedicated adjustment logic for orchids.
[0026] According to the observation data obtained by the inventors from the trial operation of the method of the present invention, the healthy growth rate of potted orchids in the seedling stage is about 99.7%, the healthy growth rate of potted orchids in the large seedling stage is about 98.4%, and the healthy growth rate of potted orchids in the mature plant stage is about 97.2%.
[0027] The watering start time needs to be set to different values depending on the season to match the habits of orchids. To this end, a temperature monitoring device can be added to automatically determine the season and set the watering start time based on the temperature change curve. Example
[0028] refer to Figure 4Based on Example 1, a spray device 22 is also arranged above the potted plant. Correspondingly, a spray module 2 is added to the automatic watering system. The spray module 2 is mainly used in high-temperature environments. The spray module 2 is an independent module parallel to the watering module 1. The spray module 2 controls the start and stop of the spray device 22 according to the instructions of the control module 5 to perform the action of spraying the leaves of the orchid potted plant. Similarly, the control module 5 is set with a specific time of day as the spray start time and a spray duration T5. When the spray start time is reached, the spray device 22 is activated and automatically stops after a delay of T5. This design allows for micro-watering of the leaves when necessary. The water evaporates rapidly under high-temperature conditions, reducing the leaf surface temperature. One or more spraying operations can be performed per day.
Claims
1. An automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring, comprising an automatic watering system including a weighing module (3) for weighing the potted orchids and a watering module (1) for watering the potted orchids, wherein the watering module (1) includes a watering device (11) controlled by a control module (5), and the weighing module (3) is signal-connected to the control module (5), characterized in that... The method Includes the following steps: S1: Calibration: When the potting mix in the orchid pot (8) is observed to have reached the baseline dryness, the weight of the orchid pot is measured using the weighing module (3). The obtained weighing value is recorded as the dry baseline weight W0 in the control module (5). The control module (5) sets a weight monitoring cycle T1 and a watering judgment cycle T2, where T2 is an integer multiple of T1. The control module (5) sets a watering start time point at a certain time of day and proceeds to step S2. S2: Periodic weight monitoring: Record the weight value W every T1 and compare the recorded weight value W with the drought baseline weight W0; S3: Watering: When the weighing value W < drought baseline weight W0 and the watering start time is reached, the watering device (11) is started and watering begins. During the watering process, the following judgment is made every T2: If the change in the weighing value at the beginning and end of each watering judgment cycle is higher than the set value, it is determined that the watering is not thorough and watering continues. If the change in the weighing value is not higher than the set value for at least two consecutive times, it is determined that the watering is thorough, the watering device (11) is turned off, and watering is stopped. S4: Return to step S2.
2. The automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module (5) is set with a delay time T3. A step S31 is added between S3 and S4 to delay the immersion. Starting from the first determination of thorough watering, the watering step S3 is re-executed after a delay of T3 until it is determined to be thoroughly watered again. Then the watering device (11) is turned off to stop watering.
3. The automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to claim 2, characterized in that: The automatic watering system also includes a ventilation module (4) for drying the leaves and pot surface of the orchid pot. The ventilation module (4) includes a ventilation device (44) controlled by the control module (5). The control module (5) is set with a ventilation duration T4. A step S32 is added between S31 and S4 for ventilation and drying. Starting from the second determination of thorough watering, the ventilation device (4) is started for ventilation and drying. After a delay of T4, the ventilation device (44) is turned off to stop ventilation.
4. The automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic watering system also includes a ventilation module (4) for drying the leaves and pot surface of orchid potted plants. The ventilation module (4) includes a ventilation device (44) controlled by the control module (5). The control module (5) is set with a ventilation duration T4. A step S32 is added between S31 and S4 for ventilation and drying. Starting from the time the watering is determined to be thorough again, the ventilation device (4) is started for ventilation and drying. After a delay of T4, the ventilation device (44) is turned off to stop ventilation.
5. The automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic watering system also includes a spray module (2) for spraying the leaves. The spray module (2) includes a spray device (22) controlled by the control module (5) to start and stop. The control module (5) is set with a spray start time and a spray duration T5. When the spray start time is reached, the spray device (22) is started and then the spray device (22) is turned off after a delay of T5.
6. The automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The control module (5) is equipped with a reset button. Pressing the reset button will clear all weight records, including the drought baseline weight W0.
7. The automatic watering method for potted orchids based on weight monitoring according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The automatic watering system also includes a temperature recording module (9), and the control module (5) automatically sets the watering start time based on the records of the temperature recording module (9).