Sensor arrangement

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a sensor arrangement for a controlled agriculture environment for growing plants. The sensor arrangement comprises a modular housing having first 30 and second modules 40 tha

Description

SENSOR ARRANGEMENT Field of the disclosure The present disclosure relates to controlled environment agriculture and more specifically to a sensor arrangement for use in a controlled environment agriculture system. Background Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is a form of intensive farming where certain parameters affecting plant growth are closely monitored and or managed to optimise yield and / or revenue. Typical CEA environments are for example greenhouses and polytunnels. Although efforts have been made in the field of CEA, current systems still have many shortcomings holding back yield and / or revenue optimization. One of the challenges facing CEA is the fact there are a large number of variables interacting with one another leading to very few conditions being the same within comparable, or even the one, CEA installation(s). Data collection is an important part of CEA, but existing sensor arrangements can be complex, costly, not adaptable enough to serve different CEA installations, or unabl to cope with differing conditions within a single CEA installation. Itis clear that components and systems currently in use have multiple disadvantages associated with them and the current disclosure is aimed at overcoming at least some of these disadvantages. Summary According to a first aspect there is provided a sensor arrangement for a controlled agriculture environment for growing plants. The sensor arrangement comprises a modular housing having first and second modules that are releasably coupled to one another. The first module is associated with a plant stem zone and has at least one sensor configured to sense a parameter associated with the plant stem zone conditions. The second module is associated with a plant root zone and has at least one sensor configured to sense a parameter associated with the plant root zone conditions. In a further aspect of the disclosure there is provided a controlled environment agriculture system comprising a plurality of sensor arrangements connected to a management system. Brief description of the drawings Embodiments will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the Figures, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a sensor arrangement having first and second modules in accordance with the current disclosure; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the sensor arrangement of Fig. 1 with the first and second modules decoupled; Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the first module of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the first module of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top view of the first module of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the second module of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the second module of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a top view of the second module of Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic functional representation of the first and second modules of Fig. 1. Detailed description Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures. Further aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a sensor arrangement 10 in accordance with the current disclosure. The sensor arrangement 10 is configurable to operate in a variety of situations and is particularly suited to operate in a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) setting to optimise plant growth. The sensor arrangement 10 may be part of a CEA management system 15 (not shown). The CEA management system 15 may include a plurality of sensor arrangements 10. CEA means any environment where at least some parameters affecting plant growth can to a certain extent be controlled. Often this entails growing plants in some form of permanent or temporary structure, using technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics. Examples of CEA environments are greenhouses, polytunnels, urban agriculture and vertical farms. The plants may grow roots in any suitable growing medium, such as gaseous, liquid or solid media or substrates. The sensor arrangement 10 includes a modular housing 20. The modular housing 20 may be of any suitable shape such as for example a generally spherical, cylindrical, dome, (frusto-)conical, or cuboid shape. The modular housing 20 has a first module 30 and a second module 40. The modular housing 20 may include further modules if desirable. The first module 30 and the second module 40 are coupled to one another via a releasable coupling arrangement 50. The coupling arrangement 50 enables the first and second modules 30, 40 to be separated from one another as can be seen more clearly in Fig. 2. The coupling arrangement 50 may include any suitable coupling type such as for example a threaded arrangement, a bajonet-style fitting, or an interference fit. The coupling 50 may be provided with a sealing arrangement 60 (not shown), to, for example, prevent ingress of dust or humidity. The sensor arrangement 10 is configured to operate in the vicinity of one or more plants with the first module 30 being predominantly associated with plant stem zone conditions and the second module 40 being predominantly associated with plant root zone conditions. The plant root zone may include the lower stem of the plant. In other words, the second module 40 tends to carry sensors (see below) associated with conditions in the growing medium and the first module 30 tends to carry sensors (see below) associated with conditions external to the growing medium. The sensor arrangement 10 may be positioned near, adjacent or amongst one or more plants. Depending on the growing medium and other factors it may be desirable to configure the housing 20 such that it can float on the growing medium or be fixed to the growing medium or any other suitable mounting point via a mechanical fixing such as for example one or more ground spikes 70 or a chain 80 (not shown). The first module 30 may be provided with at least one sensor associated with plant stem zone conditions. Figs. 4 and 5 show an exemplary configuration of sensors on the first module 30, including a light sensor 110, a CO; sensor 120, a humidity sensor 130, a temperature sensor 140 and an airflow sensor 150. Some of these sensors 110-150 may be omitted. The light sensor 110 may be mounted to the first module 30 such that it can operate with rotational invariance. It may for example be located on an axis of rotational invariance 90 such as for example on the crown of the first module 30 as most clearly seen in Figs. 4 and 5. In the exemplary embodiment as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the first module 30 is generally dome shaped with the top of the dome being the crown. In alternative embodiments the first module 30 may be of another suitable shape and the crown on those embodiments would be the (approximate) functional equivalent of the crown on the dome shape as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The other sensors 120-150 may be positioned on the first module 30 as preferred. As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 9, the first module 30 may be provided with a first control system 160. The first control system 160 may include one or more processors and memory devices capable of storing and operating software to operate the sensor arrangement 10. The first module 30 may further include a first power source 170. The first power source 170 may for example be a rechargeable battery. The first power source 170 may be rechargeable via wired or wireless technology. The first module 30 may further include a first communication arrangement 180. The first communication arrangement 180 may be used to send and / or receive data. The first communication arrangement 180 may include wireless technology such as WiFi or Bluetooth. The first module 30 may further include a first hardware port 190. The first hardware port 190 may for example be a USB port. The first hardware port 190 may be used for communication, data transfer, recharging the first power source 170 and / or for software updates. The second module 40 may be provided with at least one sensor associated with plant root zone conditions. Figs. 6 and 7 show an exemplary configuration of sensors on the second module 40, including a temperature sensor 210, a nutrient sensor 220, a humidity sensor 230 and an oxygen sensor 240. Some of the sensors 210-240 may be omitted. One or more of the sensors 210-240 may double up as a ground spike 70. As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 9, the second module 40 may be provided with a second control system 260. The second control system 260 may include one or more processors and memory devices capable of storing and operating software to operate the sensor arrangement 10. The second module 40 may further include a second power source 270. The second power source 270 may for example include a rechargeable battery. The second power source 270 may be rechargeable via wired or wireless technology. The second module 40 may further include a second communication arrangement 280. The second communication arrangement 280 may be used to send and / or receive data. The second communication arrangement 280 may include wireless technology such as WiFi or Bluetooth. The second module 40 may further include a second hardware port 290. The second hardware port 290 may for example be a USB port. The second hardware port 290 may be used for communication, data transfer, recharging the second power source 270 and / or for software updates. In one embodiment the first and second modules 34, 40, may share at least one of the first and second control system 160, 260, and / or at least one of the first and second power sources 170, 270, and / or at least one of the first and second communication arrangements 180, 280 and / or at least one of the first and second hardware ports 190, 290. Industrial applicability In use, the sensor arrangement 10 may be placed near, adjacent or amongst plants. A plurality of sensor arrangements 10 may be used spread over a wider area. The sensor arrangement 10 may be configured for specific applications and may be provided with one, several, or all of the sensors 110-150, 210-240. In an exemplary embodiment the sensor arrangement may be provided with all the sensors 110-150 and 210-240. For example, the sensors 110-150 and 210-240 may sense the following: light sensor 110 may sense a parameter indicative of light intensity and / or frequency. CO: sensor 120 may sense a parameter indicative of CO; concentration humidity sensor 130 may sense a parameter indicative of relative humidity temperature sensor 140 may sense a parameter indicative of ambient air temperature airflow sensor 150 may sense a parameter indicative of airflow temperature sensor 210 may sense a parameter indicative of root zone temperature nutrient sensor 220 may sense one or more parameters indicative of nutrient levels in the root zone humidity sensor 230 may sense one or more parameters indicative of water presence in the root zone oxygen sensor 240 may sense one or more parameters indicative of root zone oxygen saturation. The sensor arrangement 10 may float on the growing medium (e.g. water), be suspended (from the roof structure for example) or may be fixed onto the medium or on another element such as a plant tray or table. At least one of the sensors 210-240 may form, or be part of, the ground spike 70 such that the ground spike 70 can both support the sensor arrangement 10 on the growing medium and sense parameters in the growing medium. During installation and operation it may be desirable to have the performance of the sensor arrangement 10 being rotationally invariant such that performance of the sensor arrangement 10 is not, or only mildly, affected by a certain positioning. This will facilitate a simpler and more cost effective installation and may contribute to system reliability. Some of the sensors 110-150, 210-240 may not need to be oriented or positioned in a specific manner, but some may have specific requirements. It may for example be important to have the same sensors on a plurality of sensor arrangements 10 all positioned the same way for a consistent approach to measurements. For example, it may be desirable to have all light sensors 110 face the artificial lighting installation often found in CEA environments and the light sensors may therefore for example all have to be facing upwards. Placing the light sensor 110 on the rotational axis of invariance 90 will enable an installer to quickly install the sensor arrangement 110 with fewer concerns about a specific rotational orientation of the sensor arrangement 110. The sensor arrangement 10 may communicate data from at least one of the control systems 160, 260 to the CEA management system 15. The CEA management system 15 may use the data from the sensor arrangement 10, or from a plurality of sensor arrangements 10, to determine the conditions near a plant or group of plants. The CEA management system 15 may trigger an action to adjust conditions if the conditions are not in a preferred range. Actions may for example include adjusting one or more of temperature, airflow, humidity, water supply, nutrient dosing and light conditions. The CEA management system 15 may adjust one or more conditions throughout the whole of the CEA environment or at a local level only. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments above-described and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concepts described herein. Except where mutually exclusive, any of the features may be employed separately or in combination with any other features and the disclosure extends to and includes all combinations and sub-combinations of one or more features described herein.

Claims

1. Asensor arrangement for a controlled agriculture environment for growing plants, the sensor arrangement comprising: a modular housing having first and second modules releasably coupled to one another, the first module being associated with a plant stem zone and having at least one sensor configured to sense a parameter associated with the plant stem zone conditions, the second module being associated with a plant root zone and having at least one sensor configured to sense a parameter associated with the plant root zone conditions.

2. The sensor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the coupling between the first and second modules includes a threaded arrangement.

3. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the coupling includes a sealing arrangement.

4. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the first module includes a first control system configured to run software.

5. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the first module includes a first power supply in the form of a rechargeable battery.

6. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the first module includes a first wireless data transmission arrangement.

7. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the first module includes a first hardware port configured for at least one of: a. recharging the first power supply b. communication ¢. data transmission d. software updates 8. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the second module includes a second control system configured to run software.

9. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the second module includes a second power supply in the form of a rechargeable battery.

10. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the second module includes a second wireless data transmission arrangement.

11. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the second module includes a second hardware port configured for at least one of: a. recharging the first power supply b. communication ¢. data transmission d. software updates 12. The sensor arrangement of any of claims 4 to 11, wherein the first and second modules share at least one of the control systems, power supplies, data transmission arrangement and hardware ports.

13. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the second module is provided with at least one ground spike. 14, The sensor arrangement of claim 13 wherein the at least one ground spike is a sensor.

15. The sensor arrangement of any of claims 1-12 wherein the modular housing is configured to float.

16. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the at least one sensor of the first module senses a parameter indicative of one or more of the following plant stem zone conditions:

8. C02 b. Light ¢. Humidity d. Temperature e. Airflow 17. The sensor arrangement of claim 16 wherein the at least one sensor is a light sensor mounted to the first module such that it can operate with rotational invariance.

18. The sensor arrangement of claim 17 wherein the light sensor is located on an axis of rotational invariance.

19. The sensor arrangement of any of claims 17 to 18, wherein the light sensor is positioned on the crown of the first module.

20. The sensor arrangement of claim according to any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the first module includes a plurality of sensors 21. The sensor arrangement of any of the preceding claims wherein the least one sensor of the second module senses a parameter indicative of one or more of the following plant root zone conditions: a. Root zone temperature b. Nutrients ¢c. Water d. Root zone oxygen 22. A controlled environment agriculture system comprising a plurality of sensor arrangements according to any of the preceding claims connected to a management system.

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