Plant cultivation device and method

Abstract

To maximize plant yields while reducing the electricity costs required for plant lighting.SOLUTION: The present invention has a light source mechanism 11 equipped with an LED 15 that emits the light necessary for photosynthesis of a plant 1, an optical mechanism 12 equipped with a lens 17 that optically adjusts the range of light emitted to the plant, a lens position adjustment mechanism 13 that adjusts the distance between the light source mechanism and the optical mechanism, and a light amount adjustment mechanism 14 that is provided in the light source mechanism and adjusts the amount of light emitted from the LED, and is configured to control the irradiation conditions of the light irradiated to the plant 1 to be optimal for plant growth by respectively changing the position of the lens 17 with the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the amount of light from the LED 15 with the light amount adjustment mechanism 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a plant cultivation device and a plant cultivation method for growing plants indoors. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, food production factories (vegetable factories) that grow plants indoors have been put to practical use, and efforts are being made to increase the efficiency of plant growth and diversify the varieties of plants that are grown. Vegetable factories are less susceptible to outdoor environmental changes and natural disasters, and demand is expected to increase further in the future from the perspective of food security. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4276414 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6023993 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 5936927 [Patent Document 4] JP 2017-121197 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There have been many developments and inventions on the wavelength and light emission time of light sources, and their practical applications are also progressing. In particular, with regard to optimizing the irradiation method according to the growth conditions of plants, proposals have been made on the arrangement of LEDs, as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3. However, electricity costs account for a large proportion of the cost of operating the above-mentioned vegetable factories, and there is a demand for reducing the cost of light sources such as LED lighting, which are necessary for photosynthesis of plants.

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention have been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aim to provide a plant cultivation device and a plant cultivation method that can maximize plant yields while reducing the electricity costs required for lighting the plants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The plant cultivation device in an embodiment of the present invention has a light source mechanism having a light source that irradiates light necessary for photosynthesis of plants, an optical mechanism having a lens that optically adjusts the irradiation range of the light irradiated to the plant, a lens position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the distance between the light source mechanism and the optical mechanism, and a light amount adjustment mechanism that is provided in the light source mechanism and adjusts the amount of light irradiated from the light source, and is configured to control the irradiation conditions of the light irradiated to the plant to be optimal for the growth of the plant by changing the position of the lens using the lens position adjustment mechanism and the amount of light using the light amount adjustment mechanism.

[0007] A plant cultivation method in an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it includes preparing a light source mechanism having a light source that irradiates light necessary for photosynthesis of plants, and an optical mechanism having a lens that optically adjusts the irradiation range of the light irradiated to the plant, changing the position of the lens of the optical mechanism relative to the light source mechanism by a lens position adjustment mechanism, and changing the amount of light from the light source of the light source mechanism by a light amount adjustment mechanism, thereby controlling the irradiation conditions of the light irradiated to the plant to be optimal for the growth of the plant. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to maximize the yield of plants while suppressing the cost of electricity required for lighting the plants. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a plant cultivation device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the light source mechanism in FIG. [Diagram 3] 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of another example of the light source mechanism in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the optical mechanism in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the process of plant growth when a plant is grown using the plant cultivation apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the schematic configuration of a plant cultivation device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the schematic configuration of a plant cultivation device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [A] First embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 5) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of a plant cultivation device according to a first embodiment. A common tendency in the growth of a plant 1 is that the plant 1, as a seed or seedling planted in a medium, gradually grows larger, elongates in the vertical direction of the medium, and increases three-dimensionally. The plant cultivation device 10 of the first embodiment optimally controls the irradiation conditions of light irradiated to the plant 1 in accordance with the growth process of the plant 1 as described above, and cultivates the plant 1 indoors, such as in a factory, and is configured to include a light source mechanism 11, an optical mechanism 12, a lens position adjustment mechanism 13, and a light amount adjustment mechanism 14.

[0011] The light source mechanism 11 is provided with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) 15 on a panel 16 as a light source for emitting light necessary for photosynthesis of the plant 1, and irradiated light LO (FIG. 5) is emitted from the LEDs 15. As the light source, other light-emitting devices such as light bulbs, lamps, lasers, and sunlight guided indoors may be used in addition to the LEDs 15. Although the LEDs 15 are shown in FIG. 2 to be arranged in a grid pattern, the arrangement is not limited to this. For example, the LEDs 15 may be arranged radially as shown in FIG. 3 or in other arrangements as appropriate, depending on the shape and size of the plant to be grown.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the optical mechanism 12 includes lenses 17 on a panel 18 that optically adjust the irradiation range of light (outgoing light LS in Fig. 5) irradiated to the plant 1. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the lenses 17 are arranged in a lattice on the panel 18 in accordance with the positions of the LEDs 15 shown in Fig. 2. The lenses 17 are made of a material such as glass or resin and formed into a convex shape, and focus the lens incident light LL (Fig. 5) that is incident on the lens 17 out of the irradiated light LO into the outgoing light LS. The material and shape of the lens 17 are not limited to those described above, and it is also possible to use multiple lenses 17, for example by combining them with a concave lens.

[0013] 1, the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 adjusts the distance between the light source mechanism 11 and the optical mechanism 12 to change the position of the lens 17 of the optical mechanism 12 with respect to the light source mechanism 11. As a result, the LED 15 changes the output light LS irradiated to the plant 1 as shown in FIG. 5, and controls the irradiation range, irradiation density, and irradiation angle of the output light LS.

[0014] The light amount adjustment mechanism 14 is provided in the light source mechanism 11 as shown in Fig. 1, and adjusts the amount of light of the irradiation light LO irradiated from the LED 15 serving as a light source. The light amount adjustment mechanism 14 can adjust the amount of light of the irradiation light LO from the LED 15, for example, by controlling a pulse current supplied to the LED 15 to change the blinking of the light emitted from the LED 15. The light amount adjustment mechanism 14 may also adjust the amount of light of the irradiation light LO irradiated from the LED 15 using an aperture mechanism. As the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 when a light emitter other than the LED 15 is used as the light source, for example, when the light source is an incandescent light bulb, it is possible to use a mechanism that adjusts the voltage applied to the incandescent light bulb.

[0015] As described above, the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 changes the position of the lens 17 of the optical mechanism 12 relative to the light source mechanism 11 to control the irradiation range, irradiation density, and irradiation angle of the output light LS irradiated to the plant 1. Furthermore, the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 changes the light amount of the irradiation light LO irradiated from the LED 15 of the light source mechanism 11 to control the irradiation density of the output light LS irradiated to the plant 1. Here, the irradiation density is determined by the irradiation range and light amount. Therefore, the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 control the irradiation conditions (i.e., irradiation density and irradiation angle) of the output light LS irradiated to the plant 1 to be optimal for the growth of the plant 1.

[0016] In cultivating a plant 1 using the plant cultivation device 10 configured as described above, as shown in Fig. 5, of the irradiation light LO emitted from the LED 15 of the light source mechanism 11, lens incident light LL that is incident on the lens 17 of the optical mechanism 12 becomes output light LS and is irradiated onto the plant 1. The irradiation conditions of this output light LS are sequentially changed by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 in accordance with the growth stages A, B, and C of the plant 1 shown in Figs. 5(A), (B), and (C), respectively.

[0017] As configured as above, the first embodiment provides the following effect (1). (1) The lens position adjustment mechanism 13 changes the position of the lens 17 of the optical mechanism 12 relative to the light source mechanism 11 to control the irradiation range, irradiation density, and irradiation angle of the output light LS irradiated to the plant 1. Furthermore, the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 changes the light amount of the irradiation light LO from the LED 15 of the light source mechanism 11 to control the irradiation density of the output light LS irradiated to the plant 1. Therefore, the plant cultivation device 10 is configured to optimally control the irradiation conditions (irradiation density, irradiation angle) of the output light LS irradiated to the plant for the growth of the plant 1. As a result, the harvest of the plant 1 can be maximized while suppressing the power cost required for the lighting to irradiate the plant 1.

[0018] [B] Second embodiment (FIG. 6) 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a plant cultivation device according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0019] The plant cultivation device 20 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a monitoring means 21 for monitoring the growth process of the plant 1 in order to change the position of the lens 17 of the optical mechanism 12 by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and to change the amount of light LO emitted from the LED 15 of the light source mechanism 11 by the light amount adjustment mechanism 14. Specifically, the monitoring means 21 is an imaging mechanism 22 and a far-infrared measurement mechanism 23.

[0020] The imaging mechanism 22 includes an imaging device 24 that captures an image of the plant 1 being grown, and the image data of the imaging device 24 is transmitted to the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the light amount adjustment mechanism 14. The imaging device 24 may be a general digital camera compatible with visible light, but it may also be an imaging device with more advanced functions or a simple imaging device. The imaging method using the imaging device 24 may be either a method of capturing still images at regular intervals or a method of constantly capturing images continuously as a video, or both of the above methods may be combined. Furthermore, both of the above methods may be performed simultaneously or separately using multiple imaging devices 24.

[0021] The size of the plant 1 is monitored from the image captured by the imaging device 24, and, for example, when the size of the plant 1 exceeds a predetermined threshold, at least one of the position of the lens 17 by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the amount of light LO of the irradiation light from the LED 15 by the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 is adjusted. Furthermore, at least one of the position of the lens 17 by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the amount of light LO of the irradiation light from the LED 15 by the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 may be continuously adjusted in accordance with the growth of the plant 1.

[0022] The far-infrared measuring mechanism 23 includes a far-infrared measuring device 25 that measures the far-infrared rays emitted from the growing plant 1, and the far-infrared data of the far-infrared measuring device 25 is transmitted to the lens position adjusting mechanism 13 and the light amount adjusting mechanism .

[0023] Generally, there is an upper limit to the light intensity that the plant 1 can use for photosynthesis, and the plant 1 emits far-infrared rays when irradiated with light exceeding this upper limit. For this reason, by using the far-infrared measuring device 25 to monitor the far-infrared rays emitted from the plant 1, it becomes possible to determine whether the supply of light (emitted light LS) to the plant 1 is appropriate. For example, the light (emitted light LS) irradiated to the plant 1 is adjusted to be weak when far-infrared rays are being emitted from the plant 1, and to be strong when far-infrared rays are not being emitted.

[0024] The method of measuring far-infrared rays by the far-infrared measuring device 25 may be either a method of measuring far-infrared rays at regular intervals or a method of measuring far-infrared rays continuously, or both methods may be combined, as in the case of the imaging mechanism 22. In addition, the above two methods may be performed simultaneously or separately using a plurality of far-infrared measuring devices 25.

[0025] For example, when the far-infrared rays emitted from the plant 1 exceed a predetermined threshold value of the far-infrared rays based on the data acquired by the far-infrared measuring device 25, at least one of the position of the lens 17 by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the amount of light LO of the irradiation light from the LED 15 by the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 is adjusted. Also, at least one of the position of the lens 17 by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the amount of light LO of the irradiation light from the LED 15 by the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 may be continuously adjusted in accordance with the growth of the plant 1 which can be determined from the amount of emitted far-infrared rays.

[0026] As configured as above, the second embodiment provides the following effect (2) in addition to the effect (1) of the first embodiment.

[0027] (2) Image data of the plant 1 being grown is obtained using the imaging device 24 of the imaging mechanism 22, and far-infrared data emitted from the plant 1 being grown is obtained using the far-infrared measuring device 25 of the far-infrared measuring mechanism 23. Based on these data, the position of the lens 17 of the optical mechanism 12 is adjusted by the lens position adjustment mechanism 13, and the amount of light of the irradiated light LO from the LED 15 of the light source mechanism 11 is adjusted by the light amount adjustment mechanism 14. This allows the irradiation conditions of the emitted light LS irradiated to the plant 1 to be optimally controlled for the growth of the plant 1, thereby achieving labor-saving, efficient and automated growth of the plant 1 compared to the case where an operator checks the size, etc., of the plant 1 being grown.

[0028] [C] Third embodiment (FIG. 7) 7 is a perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of the plant cultivation device according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first and second embodiments, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0029] The plant cultivation device 30 of the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that the plant cultivation device 30 has a learning mechanism 31 that acquires and learns data on the growth process of the plant 1 monitored by the monitoring means 21 (imaging mechanism 22, far-infrared measurement mechanism 23) and stores this learned data in a database 32, and analyzes the irradiation conditions of light (emitted light LS) that are optimal for the current growth state of the plant 1, and operates the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the light amount adjustment mechanism 14.

[0030] In addition to the learned data described above, data on the growth conditions of the plant 1, such as temperature, and data on the growth results, such as the yield corresponding to the growth conditions, are recorded in the database 32. These data are updated as appropriate and recorded in the database 32 as learned data.

[0031] The learning mechanism 31 is composed of artificial intelligence (AI) using machine learning. The learning mechanism 31 analyzes the optimal irradiation conditions (irradiation density, irradiation angle) of the emitted light LS for the current growth state of the plant 1 monitored by the monitoring means 21 (imaging mechanism 22, far-infrared measurement mechanism 23) with reference to the learning data stored in the database 32, and operates the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 so as to conform to the analysis result.

[0032] As configured as above, the third embodiment also achieves the same effect as the effect (1) of the first embodiment, and also achieves the following effect (3).

[0033] (3) The learning mechanism 31 is configured to analyze the irradiation conditions of the emitted light LS that are optimal for the current growth state of the plant 1 by referring to the learning data stored in the database 32, which includes data on the growth process of the plant 1 monitored by the monitoring means 21 (the imaging mechanism 22, the far-infrared measurement mechanism 23), and to operate the lens position adjustment mechanism 13 and the light amount adjustment mechanism 14 based on the analysis results. Therefore, the irradiation conditions of the emitted light LS irradiated to the plant 1 are controlled to be optimal for the current growth of the plant 1, thereby achieving further labor saving, efficiency, and automation of the growth of the plant 1.

[0034] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, these substitutions, changes, and combinations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1...plant, 10...plant cultivation device, 11...light source mechanism, 12...optical mechanism, 13...lens position adjustment mechanism, 14...light amount adjustment mechanism, 15...LED (light source), 17...lens, 20...plant cultivation device, 21...monitoring means, 22...imaging mechanism, 23...far-infrared measurement mechanism, 24...imaging device, 25...far-infrared measurement device, 30...plant cultivation device, 31...learning mechanism, LO...irradiated light, LS...emitted light

Claims

1. a light source mechanism including a light source for irradiating light necessary for photosynthesis of plants; an optical mechanism including a lens that optically adjusts an irradiation range of light irradiated onto the plant; a lens position adjustment mechanism for adjusting a distance between the light source mechanism and the optical mechanism; a light amount adjustment mechanism provided in the light source mechanism for adjusting the amount of light emitted from the light source, A plant cultivation device characterized in that the lens position is changed by the lens position adjustment mechanism and the light amount is changed by the light amount adjustment mechanism, thereby controlling the irradiation conditions of light irradiated to the plant to be optimal for growing the plant.

2. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the amount of light from the light source by controlling a pulse current supplied to the light source to change the blinking of the light from the light source.

3. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring means for monitoring the growth process of a plant in order to change the position of the lens of the optical mechanism by the lens position adjustment mechanism and to change the amount of light from the light source of the light source mechanism by the light amount adjustment mechanism.

4. 4. The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring means is an imaging mechanism including an imaging device for acquiring an image of the plant being grown.

5. 4. The plant cultivation device according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring means is a far-infrared measurement mechanism having a far-infrared measurement sensor that measures far-infrared radiation emitted from a plant being grown.

6. 2. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1, further comprising a learning mechanism that acquires and learns data on the growth process of the plant monitored by the monitoring means, refers to learning data including the data, analyzes optimal light irradiation conditions for the current growth state of the plant, and operates a lens position adjustment mechanism and a light amount adjustment mechanism based on the analysis results.

7. A light source mechanism including a light source for irradiating light necessary for photosynthesis of plants and an optical mechanism including a lens for optically adjusting an irradiation range of the light irradiated to the plants are provided; A plant cultivation method characterized by controlling the irradiation conditions of light irradiated to the plant to be optimal for growing the plant by changing the position of the lens of the optical mechanism relative to the light source mechanism using a lens position adjustment mechanism and changing the amount of light from the light source of the light source mechanism using a light amount adjustment mechanism.

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