Panoramic phenology monitoring system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a panoramic phenology monitoring system, which comprises an image module, a sensor module, a master control module and a power supply module, the image module comprises a base and three camera shooting units which are arranged on the base and have the same model, the three camera shooting units are distributed at equal angles relative to the center, and the camera shooting ends of the camera shooting units all face the outside of the center; the sensor module comprises a plurality of plant physiological sensors and environment sensors; the main control module comprises a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and an upper computer communicated with the PLC; the camera unit and the sensor module are communicated with the upper computer through cables; the power supply module supplies power to the main control module. By adopting the above arrangement, the sensor can be linked to read environment and botany related data when a 360-degree panoramic image is shot, meanwhile, the continuity of the data can be ensured after the system needs to be maintained and the camera body needs to be replaced, and the visual angle difference does not occur.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of phenology monitoring technology, and specifically relates to a panoramic phenology monitoring system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Plant phenology monitoring refers to observing and recording plant life cycle events (such as flowering, leaf fall and germination) through various means including manual and automated observation. Since plant phenology is one of the most sensitive indicators of climate change, phenology monitoring is crucial for understanding plant responses to climate change and other environmental changes, and the impact of climate change on ecosystems, thereby predicting distribution changes of species under climate change and helping to identify and protect vulnerable species affected by climate change.

[0003] Due to the ultra-long time span and spatial scale of phenology monitoring, the time span even exceeds the service life of some components in the system, and there is a high requirement for data continuity. Therefore, compared with other types of image data acquisition systems, the phenology monitoring system has higher requirements for long-term stable operation in the outdoor and seamless replacement of the camera body under the premise of minimizing the impact on image continuity. At the same time, the phenology monitoring system should monitor as many angles in the sample plot as possible within limited cost to improve data richness, and at the same time of monitoring through images, it can also link various sensors to collect environmental data synchronously.

[0004] There are many mature phenology monitoring systems on the market at present, but the common phenology monitoring system products have at least one of the following problems: the phenology monitoring camera runs independently and cannot interconnect with other sensors to complete multi-dimensional monitoring together; the erection cost is high, and each angle needs a phenology camera or even a monitoring system for monitoring; the system stability is difficult to achieve ultra-long time scale (several years to several decades) operation, and once a fault occurs, it is difficult to repair and update under the premise of ensuring the shooting angle unchanged. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT

[0005] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the utility model aims at providing a panoramic phenology monitoring system which can link sensors to read environmental and plant physiological related data when shooting 360-degree panoramic images, and can ensure data continuity after the system needs to be repaired and the camera body is replaced, without angle difference.

[0006] The utility model aims at realizing the following technical scheme:

[0007] The panoramic phenology monitoring system comprises an image module, a sensor module, a main control module and a power supply module; the image module comprises a base and three camera units of the same type arranged on the base, the three camera units are distributed at equal angles about a center and the camera ends of the camera units all face outward from the center; the sensor module comprises a plurality of plant physiological sensors and environmental sensors; the main control module comprises a PLC programmable controller and a host computer in communication with the PLC programmable controller, the camera units and the sensor module are both in communication with the host computer through cables; and the power supply module supplies power to the camera units, the sensor module and the main control module.

[0008] Further, the camera unit comprises a micro single digital camera and a fisheye lens adapted to the micro single digital camera; the micro single digital camera is a full-frame camera, and the focal length of the fisheye lens is selected to be 11-15 mm.

[0009] Further, the base is provided with a support having three connecting positions corresponding to the three camera units, and the shell of the fisheye lens is detachably mounted on the connecting position.

[0010] Further, the connecting position adopts a connecting hoop.

[0011] Further, the image module further comprises a cylindrical shell arranged on the base, and the three camera units are arranged in the cylindrical shell, and the cylindrical shell is made of transparent material.

[0012] Further, the top surface of the cylindrical shell is provided with a protective cap in the shape of a conical hat for shielding rain and sundries and reducing the attachment of dirt on the cylindrical shell to affect data quality.

[0013] Further, the top of the protective cap is provided with an LED warning light, and the base is provided with a loudspeaker; the LED warning light is used to make the warning flash visible to the surroundings, and the loudspeaker is used to emit an alarm sound.

[0014] Further, the power supply module comprises a solar panel and a UPS power supply, the solar panel is electrically connected with the UPS power supply, and the UPS power supply is electrically connected with the PLC programmable controller, the host computer, the image unit and the sensor.

[0015] Further, the micro single digital camera communicates with the host computer and transmits image files through a PTP protocol, and the sensor module communicates with the host computer and acquires data through an RS485 / MODBUS-RTU protocol.

[0016] The utility model has the advantages that:

[0017] ①Based on 360 panoramic image phenology monitoring mode, can be through the equiangular distribution three camera unit after synthesis covering the whole sample site 360 degrees of phenology information by shooting;

[0018] ②Can be in each photograph at the same time sensor module of plant physiology sensor and environmental sensor corresponding to the environment and plant physiology ecological data at this time collection;

[0019] ④Use three micro single digital camera + fisheye lens combination, wherein the focal length of fisheye lens is selected from 11mm to 15mm, the best balance of cost and data quality can be realized;

[0020] ③Through the connecting position of the support on the base, the fisheye lens can be detachably installed on the connecting position, so that the camera body is suspended, which can support seamless replacement of the camera body without affecting the shooting.

[0021] ⑤Design sound and light alarm system (i.e. LED lamp and loudspeaker), which can drive away the animals entering the picture or inform the maintenance personnel to avoid entering the picture to affect the data quality through sound and light alarm;

[0022] ⑥Design the protective cap of the hat and the cylindrical transparent shell design, which can block the wind, rain and dust from adhering to the shell to affect the data quality, and block the sunlight from entering the lens to avoid backlight shooting while ensuring the collection of sample site phenology information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Fig. 1 It is the overall structure schematic view of the utility model.

[0024] Fig. 2 It is the overall structure schematic view of the camera module of the utility model.

[0025] Fig. 3 It is the internal structure schematic view of the image module of the utility model.

[0026] Fig. 4 It is the top view of the base and camera unit of the utility model.

[0027] In the figure: 1, image module;11, base;12, support;121, connecting position;13, micro single digital camera;14, fisheye lens;15, cylindrical shell;16, protective cap;17, LED alarm lamp;18, loudspeaker;2, main control module;3, sensor module;4, power supply module;41, solar cell panel;42, UPS power supply. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Terms such as “upper,” “inner,” “middle,” “left,” “right,” and “one” used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the present invention.

[0029] This invention designs a panoramic phenological monitoring system that can simultaneously read relevant environmental and botanical data through sensors while capturing 360° panoramic images. This reduces the cost of phenological monitoring equipment, achieves comprehensive coverage of monitoring sites, enhances the dimensionality of monitoring data, and ensures data continuity without perspective differences when the system requires maintenance or camera replacement, thereby increasing the effective monitoring lifespan and data time span. Furthermore, during image capture, audio-visual alarms can prevent people or animals from entering the frame and affecting data quality.

[0030] Based on this, the structure and working principle of the panoramic phenological monitoring system of this utility model will be described in detail below:

[0031] A panoramic phenological monitoring system, such as Figs. 1 to 4 As shown, it includes an image module 1, a sensor module 3, a main control module 2, and a power supply module 4.

[0032] The imaging module 1 is mainly responsible for acquiring image data for phenological monitoring. The imaging module 1 includes a cylindrical base 11 and three identical camera units set on the top surface of the base 11. The three camera units are distributed at equal angles about the center of the base 11, and the camera ends of the camera units all face outward from the center. Three camera units are the optimal number to ensure 360-degree panoramic stitching. If two are used, a fisheye lens with a field of view of more than 180 degrees is required. Such fisheye lenses are difficult to obtain and expensive. Moreover, a field of view of more than 180 degrees also determines that its effect is a circular fisheye, resulting in a large number of sensor pixels being wasted. However, more than three camera units are too costly. Therefore, the design of three sets of identical camera units can achieve the best balance between cost and data resolution.

[0033] Sensor module 3 includes a series of plant physiological sensors and environmental sensors, including but not limited to photosynthesis sensors, leaf surface temperature and humidity sensors, trunk sap flow sensors, and diameter at breast height sensors. Environmental sensors include temperature and humidity sensors, light sensors, wind speed and direction sensors, CO2 and O2 gas sensors, ultraviolet sensors, and soil temperature, humidity, pH, conductivity, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium sensors. Sensor module 3 can simultaneously collect a series of environmental and plant physiological data while collecting phenological monitoring image data to enhance the richness of the dataset.

[0034] The master module 2 comprises a PLC programmable controller, a host computer, and an industrial Internet of Things gateway, the host computer communicates with the PLC programmable controller through a cable, the PLC programmable controller is responsible for controlling the work of the corresponding module, the host computer is used for device control, synthesis of 360 panoramic images, reception, storage, processing of data, and transmission to the background through the Internet of Things gateway; wherein the camera unit and the sensor module 3 are both communicated with the host computer through a cable.

[0035] Wherein, the image module 1 and the sensor module 3 are connected and interact with the master module 2 through corresponding communication protocols, for example, the micro single digital camera 13 of the camera unit communicates and transmits image files with the host computer through the PTP protocol (ISO15740-2013); the plant physiological sensor and the environmental sensor of the sensor module 3 both communicate and acquire data with the host computer through the RS485 / MODBUS-RTU protocol. Wherein, the host computer of the master module 2 is also connected to the remote background through the industrial Internet of Things gateway for data transmission.

[0036] The power supply module 4 comprises a solar panel 41 and a UPS power supply 42, the solar panel 41 is electrically connected with the UPS power supply 42 through a power interface, and the UPS power supply 42 is electrically connected with the image unit, the PLC programmable controller and the host computer to supply power for the PLC programmable controller and the host computer.

[0037] Therefore, the utility model discloses three equal-angle-distributed and same-model camera units are arranged on the support 12, so that adjacent camera units will have a shooting overlap, and the image captured by the three camera units can be spliced into a 360-degree panoramic image by the master module 2; the three camera units can guarantee the best number for 360 panoramic splicing, for example, two fisheye lenses with a viewing angle of more than 180 degrees are used, but such fisheye lenses are difficult to obtain and expensive, and the viewing angle of more than 180 degrees also determines that the effect is a circular fisheye, resulting in a large number of wasted pixels of the sensor, and more than three camera units are too expensive, so the design of three sets of same camera units can achieve the best balance between cost and data resolution. Moreover, since a full-frame micro single camera is used, the "full-frame" has a fixed sensor size of 36mm*24mm, so the system can still guarantee the continuity of data after the camera body is repaired and replaced, and there is no viewing angle difference. In addition, during the shooting of the image module 1, the plant physiological sensor and the environmental sensor of the sensor module 3 can be linked to read the related data of the environment and the plant physiology in the monitoring environment.

[0038] The image module 1 of the panoramic phenology monitoring system is mainly used for real-time monitoring and shooting of the phenology environment, and mainly comprises a camera unit, a support 12, a cylindrical shell 15, a protective cap 16, an LED lamp 17 and a loudspeaker 18.

[0039] The camera unit comprises a micro single digital camera 13 and a fisheye lens 14 adapted on the micro single digital camera 13. The focal length of the fisheye lens 14 is selected to be 11-15 mm. On the one hand, the wide viewing angle of the fisheye lens 14 can make three sets of camera lens combinations meet the angle and image overlap required for 360-degree panoramic image synthesis. On the other hand, it also avoids the waste of part of the sensor area caused by the formation of a circular fisheye with an excessively wide focal length such as 8 mm. The micro single digital camera 13 is used for shooting phenology images and transmitting the images to the main control module 2 for synthesizing 360-degree panoramic images and transmitting the images to the back end for storage and analysis. The micro single digital camera 13 adopts a full-frame camera. The reason is that the full-frame camera has a standard 36mm*24mm sensor, and this standard will be followed and implemented for a considerable period of time in the future. Therefore, when replacing the camera body in the future, the compatibility of the viewing angle and the picture of the new and old camera bodies can be well guaranteed, thereby improving the continuity of the data.

[0040] Therefore, the focal length of the fisheye lens 14 is limited in the embodiment, so that the required 360-degree panoramic image can be shot by using the lowest three sets of camera unit combinations, and the pixels in the frame are not wasted. If only two camera lens combinations are used, a fisheye lens 14 with a focal length equivalent to 8 mm or less of a 35mm film is needed. However, such a fisheye lens 14 is expensive in the market, and the circular fisheye picture will waste a large number of sensor pixels. Using a longer focal length lens requires more cameras to form an array, and the cost will quickly rise. Therefore, using three camera units is the optimal solution considering the cost and data quality.

[0041] The bracket 12 is mounted on the top surface of the base 11, and the bracket 12 has three connection positions 121 corresponding to the three camera units respectively. The connection position 121 can adopt a connection hoop or other buckle structure with detachable mounting function, and the shell of the fisheye lens 14 is detachably mounted on the connection position 121. It should be noted that the shell of the fisheye lens 14 adopts a mechanical lens shell without any electronic contact, so that the reliability of the connection and installation can be improved when the fisheye lens 14 is detachably installed with the connection position 121 of the bracket 12. At the same time, the fisheye lens 14 is installed on the connection position 121 of the bracket 12 to leave space for replacing the body of the mirrorless digital camera 13, so as to realize the function of seamlessly replacing the body of the mirrorless digital camera 13 when the service life of the camera body reaches or appears damage. When the fisheye lens 14 is installed on the corresponding connection position 121, the connection position 121 can also be used to clamp a plurality of cables led out from the body of the mirrorless digital camera 13, such as power lines, shutter lines, USB lines and HDMI lines, so as to prevent the signal interruption caused by loose cable interface during use.

[0042] The cylindrical shell 15 is fixedly arranged on the top surface of the base 11, and the bracket 12 and the three camera units are located in the cylindrical shell 15. The cylindrical shell 15 is made of transparent material, such as glass, acrylic transparent plastic and the like. Therefore, by arranging the transparent cylindrical shell 15, the equipment inside the cylindrical shell 15 can be protected from the influence of the external environment, and the transparent material can allow the camera unit inside to collect and monitor the image of the surrounding environment.

[0043] The protective cap 16 is arranged on the top surface of the cylindrical shell 15, and the protective cap 16 is designed as a conical hat shape, which is used to block wind, rain and sundries, reduce the situation that dirt adheres to the surface of the cylindrical shell 15 to affect the image data quality, and avoid the sunlight from entering the lens to cause back light shooting. Compared with the traditional 360-degree panoramic image application scene such as street view and VR guide shooting which needs to shoot the spherical image of the whole environment, in the application scene of phenology monitoring, the part of data below the base 11 and the sky can be ignored according to the actual needs and the need for protection. Since the 360-degree panoramic phenology monitoring system can shoot 360-degree information of the location, the protective design thereof should adopt the protective cap 16 with a conical hat shape on the top, and the solar cell panel 41 of the power supply module 4 can be integrated on the surface of the protective cap 16, so as to also play the role of power supply, and avoid the problem of entering the monitoring picture or affecting the lighting caused by placing the solar cell panel 41 at the same height or below the image module 1.

[0044] In this embodiment, the base 11 can be designed as a hollow structure, and the main control unit can be arranged inside the base 11. The PLC programmable controller of the main control unit is electrically connected with the LED warning light 17 and the loudspeaker 18. The LED light 17 can be installed on the top of the base 11 or the protective cap 16, and the loudspeaker 18 can be arranged inside the base 11. The LED light 17 and the loudspeaker 18 are used for alarming and warning. When the image module 1 monitors that there is an unknown animal or a stranger in the picture, the LED light 17 can emit a warning flashing light, and the loudspeaker 18 can emit a warning sound to drive away the unknown animal or the stranger in the picture, and to remind the maintenance personnel to pay attention to avoid when shooting. At the same time, the PLC programmable controller of the main control unit is also electrically connected with the cooling fan arranged inside the base 11 and the internal temperature and humidity sensor, which are mainly used for cooling the main control unit during work and monitoring the temperature and humidity inside the base 11 in real time.

[0045] In summary, the panoramic phenology monitoring system of the utility model is through multiple same model micro single digital cameras 13 installing same model fisheye lens 14 uniformly aiming at different directions (namely about center equiangular distribution), simultaneously shooting a group of initial image data with certain overlapping degree, then forming target image data of 360 degree spherical picture covering whole sample plot through later splicing. Compared with traditional plane image monitoring system, panoramic image phenology monitoring system has advantages of wide coverage, good image data continuity and easy maintenance, without worrying about replacement of camera lens affecting data continuity, is a new type of phenology monitoring means.

[0046] Based on this, the following beneficial effects of the panoramic phenology monitoring system of the utility model are summarized as follows:

[0047] ① Based on the 360 panoramic image phenology monitoring mode, the equiangular distribution of three camera units can cover the 360 degree phenology information of the whole sample plot during shooting;

[0048] ② The plant physiological sensor and the environmental sensor of the sensor module 3 can collect the corresponding environmental and plant physiological ecological data at the same time when shooting a photo;

[0049] ④ Three camera units of micro single digital camera 13 + fisheye lens 14 combination are used, wherein the focal length of the fisheye lens 14 is selected from 11mm to 15mm, which can realize the best balance between cost and data quality;

[0050] ③ The fisheye lens 14 can be detachably installed on the connecting position 121 of the support 12 of the base 11, so that the camera body is designed to be suspended, which can support seamless replacement of the camera body without affecting shooting.

[0051] 5. Designing the sound and light warning system (i.e. LED light 17 and speaker 18) can drive away the animals entering the picture or inform the maintenance personnel to avoid entering the picture to affect the data quality through sound and light warning;

[0052] 6. Designing the protective hat 16 in the shape of a bamboo hat and the cylindrical transparent shell can block wind, rain and dust to avoid their attachment on the shell to affect the data quality and avoid the direct sunlight into the lens to cause back light shooting.

[0053] The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this, according to the above content of the present application, using the ordinary technical knowledge and conventional means in the art, without departing from the above basic technical idea of the present application, the present application can also make other various forms of modification, replacement or combination, all fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A panoramic phenology monitoring system, characterized in that, It comprises: an image module comprising a base and three identical camera units arranged on the base, the three camera units being equiangularly distributed about a center and the camera ends of the camera units all facing outward from the center; a sensor module comprising a plurality of plant physiological sensors and environmental sensors; a main control module comprising a PLC programmable controller and a host computer in communication with the PLC programmable controller, the camera units and the sensor module all being in communication with the host computer through cables; a power supply module for supplying power to the camera units, the sensor module and the main control module.

2. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 1, wherein, The camera unit comprises a micro single digital camera and a fisheye lens adapted to the micro single digital camera; the micro single digital camera is a full-frame camera, and the focal length of the fisheye lens is selected to be 11-15 mm diagonal fisheye.

3. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 2, wherein, The base is provided with a support having three connection positions corresponding to the three camera units, and the shell of the fisheye lens is detachably mounted on the connection positions.

4. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 3, wherein, The connection position adopts a connection hoop.

5. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 1, wherein, The image module further comprises a cylindrical shell arranged on the base, and the three camera units are arranged in the cylindrical shell, and the cylindrical shell is made of transparent material.

6. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 5, wherein, The top surface of the cylindrical shell is provided with a protective cap in the shape of a conical hat for shielding wind, rain and sundries, reducing the attachment of dirt on the cylindrical shell to affect data quality, and shielding direct sunlight from entering the lens to avoid backlit shooting.

7. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 6, wherein, The top of the protective cap is provided with an LED warning light, and the base is provided with a loudspeaker; the LED warning light is used to make the surrounding area see its warning flicker, and the loudspeaker is used to emit an alarm sound.

8. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 1, wherein, The power supply module comprises a solar panel and a UPS power supply, the solar panel is electrically connected with the UPS power supply, and the UPS power supply is electrically connected with the PLC programmable controller, the host computer, the camera units and the sensor module.

9. The panoramic phenomonitoring system of claim 2, wherein, The micro single digital camera communicates with the host computer and transmits image files through PTP protocol; the sensor module communicates with the host computer and acquires data through RS485 / MODBUS-RTU protocol.

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