Plant cultivation facility

Abstract

To provide a plant cultivation facility that determines a pollination timing based on floral data and enables a pollination action to be performed in a timely manner.SOLUTION: In a plant cultivation facility in which crops are cultivated with nutrient solution in a greenhouse H covered with a sunlight-transmissive transparent member, a plant growth diagnosis device 24 that runs between left and right cultivation beds 1 is provided with air-blowing pollination means 24c, and a control unit 25 is configured to calculate a pollination timing based on floral data and drive the air-blowing pollination means 24c. The control unit is also configured to calculate a pollination timing based on floral imaging data from imaging means 24b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a greenhouse-type plant cultivation facility for cultivating plants in a nutrient solution. [Background technology]

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a cultivation unit is composed of an aquarium for holding nutrient solution, a crate for growing plants, and a panel for controlling the cultivation environment of the plants. The control panel is equipped with LED lamps, a fan, and a camera on the underside, and a carbon dioxide sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an RF unit on the top side, and is supported by left and right frames attached to the sides of the crate so that it can move up and down. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-279269 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the control panel is configured with an LED lamp, a fan, and a camera on the bottom, and a carbon dioxide sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an RF unit on the top, and is supported by left and right frames attached to the sides of the crate so that it can move up and down.The height of the control panel can be adjusted according to the growth of the crops by sliding it up and down, preventing growth inhibition and leaf burn caused by close-range irradiation of the LED lamps.

[0005] However, the fan is provided for the purpose of forcibly sucking in and exhausting the air in the space between the crate and the control panel, and adjusting the air in the space to a predetermined temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation facility that determines the pollination time from flower data and performs pollination at a good timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a plant cultivation facility in which crops are cultivated in a nutrient solution in a house H covered with a transparent material that allows sunlight to pass through, and is configured to provide a plant growth diagnostic device 24 that travels between the left and right cultivation media 1 with an air-blowing pollination means 24c, and a control unit 25 that calculates the pollination time based on flower data and drives the air-blowing pollination means 24c.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, in which the control unit 25 calculates the pollination time based on image data of the flower from the imaging means 24b.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the air blowing pollination means 24c is arranged so that the air blowing fan 30 can be changed in vertical position along the vertical direction, and is arranged so that air can be blown toward flowers that have been determined to be in the pollination period.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the blower fan 30 of the air-blowing pollination means 24c is configured to act on the stems and leaves in the vicinity of a flower determined to be in the pollination period, thereby imparting vibrations to the flower. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the invention described in claims 1 to 3, air-blowing pollination means 24c is provided, and when it is determined from flower data that it is time for pollination, air is blown onto the flower to effectively pollinate it.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 4, by blowing air onto the stems and leaves in the vicinity of the flowers, it is possible to impart vibrations to the flowers, thereby promoting pollination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1]System diagram of a plant cultivation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Internal diagram of the plant cultivation facility [Diagram 3] Internal diagram of the plant cultivation facility [Figure 4] (A) A perspective view of the plant growth diagnostic device, (B) its side view. [Diagram 5] Control Block Diagram [Figure 6] (A) to (D) Schematic diagram of the calculation process of the plant growth diagnostic device [Figure 7] (A) to (C) Schematic diagram of other calculation processes of the plant growth diagnostic device [Figure 8] A conceptual diagram of still another arithmetic process of the plant growth diagnostic device. [Figure 9] (A) and (B) Schematic diagram of further calculation processing of the plant growth diagnostic device [Figure 10] (A) A diagram showing an example of a map of flower data, (B) a side view showing the state of air pollination, and (C) a perspective view showing the various parts of the greenhouse that are related to the control. [Figure 11] Graph showing the measurement of photosynthetic function [Figure 12] (A) Plan view of the plant cultivation facility, (B) Plan view showing an example of unit plot configuration [Figure 13] Plan including the plant cultivation facility and its surroundings DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A plant cultivation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 5, house H is a vinyl greenhouse that transmits sunlight. Inside house H, many horizontally extending cultivation media 1 are arranged side by side. The stems k of seedlings transplanted into the medium 1 grow along the attraction string 2. An attraction hook 3 is provided at the upper end of the attraction string 2, and the attraction hook 3 is configured to be hooked onto an attraction wire 4 that is oriented to cross the medium 1.

[0016] A system for supplying a nutrient solution to the medium 1 will be described.

[0017] The system is equipped with a fertilizer tank 5 for storing fertilizer, a pH adjustment tank 6 for storing a pH adjuster, a raw water tank 7 for storing raw water for dilution, and a mixing tank 8 for mixing the raw water and fertilizer to prepare a nutrient solution.

[0018] A supply pipe 9 is provided for supplying the nutrient solution from the mixing tank 8 to the medium 1, and a drain pipe 10 is provided for discharging the nutrient solution from the medium 1. The supply pipe 9 is provided with a supply pump 11 for supplying the nutrient solution to the medium 1, and the drain pipe 10 is connected to a drain tank 13 for storing the discharged nutrient solution. A drain pump 12 and a return pipe 14 are provided for supplying the nutrient solution from the drain tank 13 to the mixing tank 8, so that the nutrient solution can be reused. The concentration of the nutrient solution is measured by a nutrient solution concentration control sensor 15, and raw water, fertilizer, and pH adjuster are appropriately supplied by pumps 16, 17, and 18 so that the concentration (so-called EC value) reaches a set value.

[0019] A ceiling 20 of the house H is provided with an opening / closing window 21 for ventilation. A humidifier 22 that sprays fine mist from a nozzle is provided at the top of the house H. A shading curtain 23 that blocks sunlight that passes through the house H is provided inside the house H. Also provided are a photosynthesis measuring device 24a that measures the state of photosynthesis of plants while traveling between the culture media 1, and a plant growth diagnostic device 24 equipped with various detection means described below. The opening / closing window 21, humidifier 22, shading curtain 23, and plant growth diagnostic device 24 are configured to be controlled by a control unit 25 (a central control panel for the plant cultivation equipment). Also provided is an actinometer 26 that measures the amount of solar radiation irradiating the house H.

[0020] The plant growth diagnostic device 24 travels unmanned along the passage P between the culture media 1, and the control unit 25 can measure the state of photosynthesis of the plants by irradiating the plants with light using a blue LED 27 or the like as a photosynthesis measuring device 24a.

[0021] 4, a vertical panel 38 is arranged on a vehicle body frame 37 that can reciprocate along a pipe rail 36 track using front, rear, left and right running wheels 35, and the blue LEDs 27 of the photosynthesis measuring device 24a are arranged in multiple rows. Note that the components and sensors of the imaging means 24b, the air pollination means 24c and the environmental information acquisition means 24d described below are arranged on the vertical panel 38.

[0022] The plant growth diagnostic device 24 also includes imaging means 24b at the top and bottom of the device. Of the imaging means 24b, an upper camera 28 provided at the top of the device mainly images the vicinity of the growing point of the plant, and a lower camera 29 provided at the bottom of the device mainly images the fruit such as a tomato.

[0023] Furthermore, the plant growth diagnostic device 24 is equipped with an air pollination means 24c. In the illustrated example, the air pollination means 24c has air fans 30 provided at two locations, one at the front and one at the back, and is provided independently along upper and lower guide parts so that their positions can be changed up and down, for example, by linking the endless belts to forward and reverse rotation. The control unit 25 determines the time for pollination of the plant based on the flower image data and weather information, and when it is determined to be the appropriate time, it outputs an air blowing signal together with a position designation signal for the air fan 30, thereby performing effective pollination.

[0024] In addition to the above, the plant growth diagnostic device 24 is provided with a temperature sensor 31, a humidity sensor 32, and a CO2 concentration sensor 33 as environmental information acquisition means 24d. The plant growth diagnostic device 24 is provided with a photosynthesis measuring device 24a, an imaging means 24b, an air pollination means 24c, and an environmental information acquisition means 24d on each of the left and right sides in the traveling direction, and performs predetermined information acquisition and growth processes while traveling back and forth through the passage P between the culture media 1.

[0025] Now, an example of data acquisition during the reciprocating stroke of the plant growth diagnostic device 24 in the passage P will be described. For example, during the forward stroke, the photosynthesis measuring device 24a and the environmental information acquiring means 24d are operated to measure the photosynthetic function (P / S value) by blue LED irradiation at each measurement point, for example, at each stalk k, and also measure the temperature (℃) by the temperature sensor 31, the humidity (%RH) by the humidity sensor 32, and the CO2 concentration (ppm) by the CO2 concentration sensor 33. On the other hand, during the return stroke, image data is acquired by the imaging means 24b at each measurement point, similarly at each stalk k, and the data of the vicinity of the growth point imaged by the upper camera 28 and the fruit data imaged by the lower camera 29 are transmitted to the control unit 25. In this way, data that can be handled in a relatively short time is acquired during the forward stroke, and data that requires a relatively long time to acquire image data is acquired during the return stroke, thereby shortening the time of the forward stroke and making it possible to acquire ever-changing environmental information with little time lag. On the other hand, by setting a certain time for the acquisition of image data, it is possible to avoid situations such as blurring of image data.

[0026] When data is acquired for one passage P1 between the culture media 1, similar data is acquired for the adjacent passage P2 between the culture media 1, and data is acquired up to passage Pn.

[0027] Next, an example will be described in which various judgments are made by meshing the acquired information of a plurality of inter-culture medium 1 passages P1-Pn in a map. As shown in Fig. 6, the measurement data by the photosynthesis measuring device 24a is displayed in a grid of passages P1-Pn and measurement points (Fig. 6(A)), and the measurement data is displayed in color for each grid. The upper limit is set in red and the lower limit in blue in advance, and data in between is displayed in a color corresponding to a gradation change from red to blue or vice versa, forming a photosynthesis map M1. The numerical values ​​of the measurement data may also be displayed in each mesh.

[0028] Similarly, the temperature (℃) from the temperature sensor 31, the humidity (%RH) from the humidity sensor 32, and the CO2 concentration (ppm) from the CO2 concentration sensor 33 as the environmental information acquisition means 24d are colored red for maximum values ​​and blue for minimum values, and the intermediate values ​​are colored in gradation to form the temperature map M2, the humidity map M3, and the CO2 concentration map M4 (FIG. 6(B)). These maps M1 to M4 are then superimposed, and only the red or blue colors are extracted and displayed as an abnormal data map M5 (FIG. 6(C)). Furthermore, this abnormal data map M5 is associated with the measurement date, and abnormal data maps M51, M52, ... M5m for multiple days are superimposed, and the area where red or blue abnormal data continues is extracted and displayed as a secondary abnormal data map M6 (FIG. 6(D)).

[0029] Next, the process of processing the image data captured by the imaging means 24b will be described. By moving the plant growth diagnostic device 24 along the inter-culture medium passage P, the upper camera 28 continuously captures images of the vicinity of the growth point, resulting in continuous imaging of the stem length, and the image data (Fig. 7(A)) is converted into a vertical graph display (Fig. 7(B)). In this case, low points are displayed in blue and high points in red. By overlaying this with the photosynthetic function (P / S value) data (Fig. 7(C)), if the stem length is short and the photosynthetic function (P / S value) is also low, that part will flash in blue, and if the stem length is long and the photosynthetic function (P / S value) is high, that part will flash in red.

[0030] The converted vertical graph display is collected over each of the passages P1 to Pn, and an average value line Q is calculated. Any part above the average value line Q is determined to be an improperly performed attraction, and an alarm or the like is displayed to prompt the user to perform the attraction work (FIG. 8).

[0031] The leaf area within the specified range R is calculated from images of the stem length taken continuously by the upper camera 28, and the data is pasted vertically on the map for each row. It is then compared with the data from the previous day, and if there has been no increase, an alarm is sounded (Figure 9(A)).

[0032] In addition, in Figure 9 (B), the lower camera 29 continuously photographs the fruits (red), calculates the number of fruits, and then pastes the data vertically on the map. If the number reaches a certain level, an alarm is sounded for each row to encourage harvesting.

[0033] Next, the air pollination means 24c will be described with reference to FIG. 10. The control unit 25 recognizes the stored state of the flower, that is, the position of the flower and the state of the petals, and stores them on a map using the image data of the image capture means 24b, i.e., the upper camera 28 and the lower camera 29 (FIG. 10(A)). The pollination time is first determined from the flower data on this map, and when this time is reached, the air pollination means 24c is operated and controlled. That is, the plant growth diagnostic device 24 is driven to approach the target, and then the vertical height of the air blower fan 30 is set so that the air can be blown from slightly above the flower to drop the pollen, and then the air blower fan 30 is driven to blow air (FIG. 10(B)). At this time, the air blowing direction of the air blower fan 30 can be controlled to be oriented in an appropriate direction, or the rotation speed of the air blower fan 30 is controlled to blow air at an appropriate strength, thereby improving the pollination workability.

[0034] When controlling the operation of the above-mentioned air-blowing pollination means 24c, it is advisable to control the opening and closing of the ceiling portion 20 and the operation of the ventilation fan 35' to prepare a suitable pollination environment (FIG. 10(C)).

[0035] In the above example, the fan is directly applied to the flowers, but it may be configured to blow air onto the leaves and stems at the top of the flowers to vibrate them and make the pollen fall. By making it function as a vibration imparting means in this way, the pollen fall is promoted. The control unit 25 calculates the vibration value based on the camera image data, and by comparing it with the harvest data at a later date and storing it in a database, it is possible to obtain the optimal vibration state.

[0036] The control of each device in the plant cultivation equipment based on the measurement results of the photosynthesis measurement device 24a will be described.

[0037] When the actinometer 26 measures the amount of solar radiation set (for example, 600 W / m2 or more), the light-shielding curtain 23 is controlled to close. When the photosynthesis measurement device 24a measures that the photosynthetic state, i.e., the photosynthetic function is lowered, the amount of solar radiation is corrected to be set lower (for example, 300 W / m2 or more). This is because if the plant is exposed to strong sunlight when its photosynthetic function is lowered, it may be stressed and wilt. In this embodiment, the amount of solar radiation is set as the set reference value, but the accumulated amount of solar radiation may also be set as the set reference value.

[0038] The opening and closing control of the opening and closing window 21 will be described. The opening and closing window 21 is set to open and ventilate the house H to lower the room temperature when the room temperature in the house H measured by the room temperature meter 27 is equal to or higher than a set value (for example, 22°C or higher). When the photosynthesis state measured by the photosynthesis measuring device 24a is measured to be lower than point P (for example, 1.5P / S), it is determined that the photosynthetic function is reduced, and the room temperature is corrected lower (for example, 18°C). This is because if the room temperature is high when the photosynthetic function is reduced, the amount of transpiration from the plants increases, which may cause the plants to wilt. In addition, since the pyranometer 26 is expensive, it is possible to replace it with the inexpensive room temperature meter 27. In addition, when the room temperature is high, it is also possible to lower the room temperature by humidifying the room with the humidifier 22.

[0039] Next, the humidification control of the humidifier 22 will be described.

[0040] In the house H, when the indoor humidity measured by the hygrometer 28' falls below a set humidity (for example, 60% humidity or less), the humidifier 22 is activated to control the humidity. When the humidity falls below the point P (for example, 1.5 P / S) at which the photosynthetic function is determined to be reduced by the photosynthesis measuring device 24a, and the room temperature is higher than the set value or the amount of solar radiation is higher than the set value, the set humidity is corrected higher (for example, 75% humidity). This is because if the plant is exposed to strong sunlight or the room temperature is high while the photosynthetic function is reduced, the amount of transpiration of the plant increases, which may cause the plant to wilt. Therefore, by controlling the indoor humidity to be higher, the transpiration of the plant can be suppressed.

[0041] Next, regarding the management of the nutrient solution concentration (EC value), the nutrient solution concentration is controlled to be a nutrient solution concentration (e.g., 8.0 ds / m) set by the nutrient solution concentration sensor 15. When the photosynthesis measurement device 24a measures that the photosynthetic state, i.e., the photosynthetic function is reduced, below the set point P (e.g., 1.5 P / S), a correction is made to lower the set value of the nutrient solution concentration (e.g., 7.5 ds / m). As a result, when the photosynthetic function is reduced, the nutrient solution concentration can be lowered to make it easier for the plant to absorb water and less likely to wilt.

[0042] The timing for performing the closing control of the light-shielding curtain 23, the opening control of the opening / closing window 21, and the humidification control of the humidifier 22 is preferably the day after the day on which the measured value of the photosynthesis function is detected to be equal to or lower than the set value. Explaining with reference to the graph in FIG. 11, if the numerical value indicating the photosynthesis function falls below the set value P on the third day of measurement (c), the above-mentioned devices of the equipment are controlled on the fourth day. This is because the plant growth diagnostic device 24 equipped with the photosynthesis measuring device 24a of this embodiment does not run during the day when an operator is present to perform management work in the equipment, but runs between the culture mediums at night when the operator is not present in the equipment to measure the photosynthesis of plants, so it is appropriate to perform various controls during the day on the following day when the amount of solar radiation and room temperature are high. As shown in FIG. 11, the reason why the photosynthesis function is continuously decreasing from the first day to the third day is often because the amount of solar radiation is decreasing due to cloudy weather or rain. And, the reason why the numerical value indicating the photosynthesis function exceeds the set value P on the fourth day is often because the weather is sunny. Furthermore, when the numerical value (d) showing the photosynthetic function on the fourth day in FIG. 11 exceeds the set value P, the above-mentioned corrected set reference value for the next day is returned to the initially set set reference value.

[0043] Next, in order to efficiently collect environmental data in the house H, a system that divides the house H into specified sections and collects data for each section will be described. In FIG. 12(A), the house H is equipped with a cultivation room 40, a management room 41, a power room 42, a nutrient solution equipment 43, etc., and the cultivation room 40 is formed in a square shape in a plan view. In the cultivation room 40, a plurality of cultivation garters 44 are arranged parallel to each other at a specified interval along the longitudinal direction. The cultivation garters 44 are hanging garters, and polystyrene foam is used for the garters to form a culture medium. Pipe rails 45 are arranged between the cultivation garters 44. Each of the pipe rails 45 is molded into a U-shape, and heating is performed by running hot water produced by a boiler through the pipe rails 45. The pipe rails 45 can also be used as running rails for the plant growth diagnostic device 24, carts, pest control robots, etc. As shown by the dotted lines in Figure 12(B), a square section is formed, and in this example, multiple sections are formed vertically and horizontally by a line B1 along the pipe rail 45 and a line B2 connecting the side wall pillars 47 and the central pillar 48, and the entire cultivation room 40 is covered by a collection of unit sections S. In this way, the division is based on the pillars 47, 48 and does not depend on the orientation.

[0044] This division method is an effective means of dividing the map into meshes and managing the state of crops by division. The mesh data shown in Figure 6 above is the division by the dotted lines in Figure 12(B), and is a division by meshes.

[0045] Figure 13 is equivalent to the environmental map issued by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, and generally the directions of north, south, east and west are fixed, allowing users to easily compare data. An agricultural software development manufacturer has created an environmental map that adds data on agricultural-related environmental facilities such as waterways and water gates, horticultural greenhouses, material storage areas, rice paddies and fields, forests, farm roads, and gas stations to this environmental map. By adding data to the environmental map in this way, it can be easily used as common data for the market, but if this map data is used as is, it may be difficult to use in actual work because the data is heavy and the directions are fixed. For this reason, efficient data processing can be achieved by independently setting a dedicated map, or so-called work map, that is adapted to the work, as shown in Figure 12.

[0046] The work map shown in Figure 12 is easy to manage because the divisions are formed according to the direction of the plant cultivation facility as mentioned above. However, as shown in the environmental map in Figure 13, in reality the facility is not aligned with the east-west, north-south orientation, but is tilted to one side. Therefore, actual work and data processing are carried out on the work map, but when the information is to be made public, the data is converted into the environmental map shown in Figure 13. This process reflects the data on the environmental map, making it easier to share information on the Internet.

[0047] The data collected for each unit plot S includes growth information such as photosynthetic function, environmental information such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, and harvest information such as quality and yield. These are stored in a database in association with date information.

[0048] The collected data is ranked based on sugar content, for example, among the quality of harvest information, and stored in a database. Also, by comparing sugar content information with growth information and environmental information for each plot S related to the sugar content information, it can be contributed to the derivation of factors resulting from improved sugar content. Similarly, by comparing yield information and fruit size information, it can be contributed to the derivation of factors resulting from improved yield and factors resulting from fruit size. Furthermore, by comparing the presence and degree of blemishes and irregularities among the quality, it can be contributed to the derivation of reduction and elimination of blemishes and irregularities.

[0049] Next, regarding the configuration for controlling the environment for each unit plot S, various data is acquired for each unit plot S, and environmental control is performed according to the quality of the harvested product, such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration control, as well as nutrient solution concentration adjustment control, air volume adjustment control, solar radiation adjustment control, etc., so that each plot can be set to achieve the quality rank required at the time of harvest. This can also be developed to selectively set a yield increase priority plot (group) or a sugar content increase priority plot (group).

[0050] When implementing the environmental control, a database is provided that can store past weather, temperature, and other information in the area where the house H is installed, as well as long-term forecast information. Then, based on the growth information up to now and the environmental information inside the house H estimated by the long-term forecast, environmental control is performed according to the growth season so as to achieve energy saving effects. For example, when the long-term forecast predicts a drop in temperature, fuel costs can be reduced by implementing environmental control in advance to promote growth as much as possible. On the other hand, when the long-term forecast predicts a rise in temperature, fuel costs can be reduced by setting the low temperature even lower in advance.

[0051] Next, the degree of photosynthesis promotion is grasped and ranked for each section S, and environmental factor data associated with environmental conditions with a high photosynthesis promotion rank, i.e., environmental conditions that produced good growth, is extracted, and environmental control is performed thereafter to bring the environmental conditions closer to these environmental conditions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1. Culture medium 24 Plant growth diagnostic device 24b Imaging means 24c Air pollination method 25 Control Unit 30 Blower fan H House

Claims

1. This plant cultivation facility grows crops in a nutrient solution in a greenhouse (H) covered with a transparent member that transmits sunlight, and is characterized in that a plant growth diagnostic device (24) that travels between left and right cultivation media (1) is equipped with an air pollination means (24c), and a control unit (25) is configured to calculate the pollination time based on flower data and drive the air pollination means (24c).

2. 2. The plant cultivation facility according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (25) is configured to calculate the pollination time based on image data of the flower from the imaging means (24b).

3. 3. The plant cultivation facility according to claim 1, wherein the air pollination means (24c) is provided with an air blower (30) that is vertically movable and capable of blowing air toward a flower plant determined to be in the pollination period.

4. 3. The plant cultivation facility according to claim 1, wherein the blower fan (30) of the blower pollination means (24c) is configured to apply vibrations to the stems and leaves of flowers in the vicinity of the flowers determined to be in the pollination period.

Images