Indoor greening system, control method, and control program

Abstract

To provide an indoor greening system, a control method and the like capable of controlling overflow of water from a greening product.SOLUTION: An indoor greening system 1 comprises: at least one watering part 20 which performs watering to a greening product 10 arranged indoor R; and a control part 71 which is wirelessly connected with the watering part 20, and controls the watering part 20. The watering part 20 starts watering to the greening product 10 on the basis of a start command from the control part 71. Further, the watering part 20 stops watering to the greening product 10 in the state where a stop command from the control part 71 is not received when a watering state to the greening product 10 satisfies a predetermined condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an indoor greening system for irrigating green plants placed indoors, and also to a control method and a control program for controlling the operation of an irrigation unit that irrigates green plants placed indoors. [Background technology]

[0002] Greening systems that artificially grow plants and other greenery in people's living spaces have become widespread for the purpose of greening buildings, rooms, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a greening display device used for indoor decoration.

[0003] In greening systems, automatic watering of plants has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a greening device that can maintain a constant water level of water, liquid fertilizer, etc. stored in a planting case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-39969 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-183233 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, greening systems using wireless communication systems have been considered. In such greening systems, for example, green plants are irrigated according to instructions from an irrigation control unit located at a location distant from the plants.

[0006] However, if a wireless communication failure or significant delay occurs during watering for some reason, there is a possibility that instructions from the control unit will not reach the water supply pump or other irrigation units. This will make it impossible to stop watering the greenery, and water will overflow from the plants. While this water overflow is not a major problem outdoors, it can become a major issue in indoor environments such as offices.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor greening system that can prevent water from overflowing from greening plants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, an indoor greening system includes at least one irrigation unit that irrigates green plants placed indoors, and a control unit that is wirelessly connected to the irrigation unit and controls the irrigation unit. In this indoor greening system, the irrigation unit starts irrigating the green plants based on a start command from the control unit. Furthermore, when the irrigation status of the green plants satisfies a predetermined condition, the irrigation unit stops irrigating the green plants without receiving a stop command from the control unit.

[0009] In the indoor greening system according to the above aspect of the present invention, the predetermined condition may be that the watering time reaches a predetermined value.

[0010] The indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects may include a water level sensor that measures the level of water supplied to the greening product, and the predetermined condition may be that the water level sensor is at or above a predetermined water level.

[0011] The indoor greening system according to any one of the above aspects may further include a repeater that relays wireless communication between the control unit and the watering unit.

[0012] In an indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects, the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when it sends an operation instruction signal to the irrigation unit, and the control unit may check whether the repeater has received the response signal after sending the operation instruction signal, and restart the repeater if the number of times the response signal is not received reaches a predetermined value or more.

[0013] In an indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects, the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when an operation instruction signal is sent to the irrigation unit, and the repeater may check whether the response signal has been received after sending the operation instruction signal, and may restart if the number of times the response signal is not received reaches a predetermined value or more.

[0014] An indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects may further include a water level sensor that measures the water level of the water supplied to the greening product, and the repeater may be configured to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor, and the control unit may restart the repeater when the number of times the repeater is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.

[0015] An indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects further includes a water level sensor that measures the water level of the water supplied to the greening product, and the repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor, and the repeater may be restarted when the number of times that the measurement value of the water level sensor cannot be received reaches a predetermined value or more.

[0016] The indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects may further include a server on the cloud and a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the irrigation unit, and the control unit may be included in the repeater.

[0017] In the indoor greening system according to any one of the above aspects, the control unit may be located in a server on a cloud.

[0018] An indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects may further include a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the irrigation unit, and the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when an operation instruction signal is sent to the irrigation unit, and the control unit may check whether the repeater has received the response signal after sending the operation instruction signal, and restart the repeater if the number of times the response signal is not received reaches a predetermined value or more.

[0019] An indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects may further include a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the irrigation unit, and the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when an operation instruction signal is sent to the irrigation unit, and the repeater may check whether the response signal has been received after sending the operation instruction signal, and may restart if the number of times the response signal is not received reaches a predetermined value or more.

[0020] An indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects may further include a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the irrigation unit, and a water level sensor that measures the water level of the water supplied to the greening products, wherein the repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive measurement values ​​from the water level sensor, and the control unit may restart the repeater when the number of times the repeater is unable to receive measurement values ​​from the water level sensor reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.

[0021] An indoor greening system according to any of the above aspects further includes a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the irrigation unit, and a water level sensor that measures the water level of the water supplied to the greening products, and the repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive the measurement values ​​of the water level sensor, and the repeater may be restarted when the number of times that it is unable to receive the measurement values ​​of the water level sensor reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.

[0022] In the indoor greening system according to any one of the above aspects, the control unit may be configured to be able to restart itself.

[0023] The indoor greening system according to any one of the above aspects may be one for irrigating the green plant that does not have a drainage function.

[0024] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a control method for controlling the operation of at least one irrigation unit that irrigates green plants placed indoors, the control method controlling the irrigation unit to start irrigating the green plants based on a start command from an external control unit that can wirelessly communicate with the irrigation unit, and stopping irrigation of the green plants when the irrigation status of the green plants satisfies a predetermined condition without receiving a stop command from the control unit.

[0025] Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a control program for causing the irrigation unit to execute the above-described control method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to an indoor greening system according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent water from overflowing from greenery plants. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an indoor greening system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the irrigation unit and the water level sensor according to one embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a server according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a repeater according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the irrigation unit starts irrigation in the indoor greening system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the irrigation unit from the start to the stop of irrigation in the indoor greening system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when irrigation is stopped in the indoor greening system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for restarting a repeater based on the communication status between a water level sensor and the repeater in the indoor greening system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an indoor greening system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a server provided in the indoor greening system shown in FIG. 9. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a repeater provided in the indoor greening system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an indoor greening system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0029] First Embodiment In this embodiment, an indoor greening system 1, which is an example of an indoor greening system, will be described as an example. The indoor greening system 1 is a system that can be used to grow ornamental plants, flower beds, vegetables, and other greenery in indoor environments such as public facilities such as offices, libraries, and community centers, and indoor vegetable factories. The indoor greening system 1 includes equipment (e.g., a watering unit 20, a water level sensor 40, an environmental sensor 50, etc.) for maintaining the growth of the greenery.

[0030] (Overall configuration and operation of the indoor greening system) First, the overall configuration of an indoor greening system 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as system 1) according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of system 1 according to this embodiment. System 1 includes, as its main components, greening products 10, a watering unit 20, a repeater 30, a water level sensor 40, an environmental sensor 50, a server 70, and a communication terminal (e.g., a smartphone) 80.

[0031] The greening product 10 is placed in a room R such as an office. The greening product 10 includes, for example, a plant 11, a planter 12, and culture soil 13 in the planter 12.

[0032] The irrigation unit 20 irrigates the green plant 10. The irrigation unit 20 is placed near the green plant 10 inside the room R and is connected to the planter 12 of the green plant 10 via piping 15. The irrigation unit 20 includes a water supply tank 21, a water supply pump 22, a water supply valve 23, and an irrigation control unit 25. The irrigation unit 20 is wirelessly connected to the repeater 30 using short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) communication, Zigbee (registered trademark) communication, or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication.

[0033] The water level sensor 40 is attached inside the planter 12 and measures the level of the supplied water. The water level sensor 40 is wirelessly connected to the repeater 30 using short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication, Zigbee (registered trademark) communication, or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication.

[0034] When the plants 11 in the greening product 10 are grown hydroponically, the water supply tank 21 of the irrigation unit 20 may be provided inside the planter 12. The water level sensor 40 is disposed inside the planter 12 and measures the water level in the water supply tank 21.

[0035] In yet another embodiment, another water level sensor 40A may be provided in the water supply tank 21. In this case, the water level sensor 40A is also wirelessly connected to the repeater 30. This allows the system 1 to control the irrigation of the green plant 10 based on the water level information from the two water level sensors 40 and 40A.

[0036] The environmental sensor 50 is disposed near the greening product 10 in the room R. The environmental sensor 50 includes, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a wind speed sensor, and a CO2 sensor. The provision of the environmental sensor 50 makes it possible to check the environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, illuminance, wind speed, CO2 concentration, etc.) of the room R in which the greening product 10 is disposed. The environmental sensor 50 is wirelessly connected to the repeater 30 using short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication, Zigbee (registered trademark) communication, or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. In another embodiment, the environmental sensor 50 may be wired to the repeater 30. In yet another embodiment, some sensors in the environmental sensor 50 may be wirelessly connected to the repeater 30, and the other sensors may be wired to the repeater 30.

[0037] The server 70 may be, for example, a cloud server. Other servers, such as a VPS, a shared server, or a dedicated server, may also be used as appropriate. The devices in the system 1, such as the repeater 30 and the communication terminal 80, are configured to be wirelessly connected to the server 70 via wide-area wireless communication means, such as the Internet, LTE, or a carrier network. The server 70 includes a CPU 71 (control unit) for controlling the various devices in the system 1, such as the irrigation unit 20.

[0038] A router, for example, is used as the repeater 30. The repeater 30 relays communications between the server 70 and each device in the room R. For example, the repeater 30 relays wireless communications between the CPU 71 in the server 70 and the irrigation unit 20. The repeater 30 may be placed in the same room R as the greening products 10, etc., or may be placed in a location separate from the room R where the greening products 10, etc. are placed but within a relatively short distance from the greening products 10, etc. (for example, in the same building as the room R).

[0039] A smartphone, for example, is used as the communication terminal 80. The communication terminal 80 is configured to be able to wirelessly connect to the server 70 via, for example, the Internet, LTE, a carrier network, or the like. As a result, information regarding the greening products 10 placed in the room R and the environmental conditions around the greening products 10 is transmitted to the communication terminal 80. Therefore, the user of the communication terminal 80 can observe the conditions of the greening products 10 and the like from a location away from the room R. Note that the communication terminal 80 is not limited to a smartphone, and may also be a personal computer, tablet device, wearable device, or the like.

[0040] Although not shown in Figure 1, the system 1 may also include lighting to supply light to the greening products 10, an air conditioner to change the temperature in the room in which the greening products 10 are placed, a camera to photograph the greening products 10, etc.

[0041] In this embodiment, the CPU 71 in the server 70 controls all the devices in the system 1. Specifically, the CPU 71 (controller) in the server 70 controls the irrigation unit 20. That is, the irrigation unit 20 starts irrigating the green plant 10 based on a start instruction from the CPU 71. That is, when the irrigation unit 20 receives a start instruction signal (ON signal) from the CPU 71 via the repeater 30, the irrigation control unit 25 in the irrigation unit 20 opens the water supply valve 23 and operates the water supply pump 22. Furthermore, when the irrigation unit 20 receives a stop instruction signal (OFF signal) from the CPU 71 via the repeater 30, the irrigation control unit 25 stops the water supply pump 22 and closes the water supply valve 23.

[0042] The system 1 has the above-described configuration, and is able to grasp the watering status of the greening plants 10 and automatically water the greening plants 10 as needed. Note that while Fig. 1 shows an example configuration in which one repeater 30, and one greening plant 10 and one irrigation unit 20 wirelessly connected via this repeater 30, are wirelessly connected to one server 70, the configuration of the indoor greening system is not limited to this. In other words, a configuration in which multiple repeaters, multiple greening plants, and multiple irrigation units are wirelessly connected to one server may also be used.

[0043] In addition, in the system 1 of this embodiment, the irrigation unit 20 is configured to stop irrigating the green plant 10 when the irrigation situation of the green plant 10 meets predetermined conditions without receiving a stop instruction signal from the CPU 71.

[0044] The following describes in more detail the configuration of the watering unit 20, the server 70, the repeater 30, and the like that make up the system 1.

[0045] (Configuration of the irrigation section) First, we will explain the configuration of the irrigation unit 20 that makes up the system 1. Fig. 2 shows the configuration of the irrigation unit 20. Fig. 2 also shows the configuration of the water level sensor 40 that is placed inside the planter 12.

[0046] The irrigation unit 20 has, as its main components, a water supply tank 21, a water supply pump 22, a water supply valve 23, a communication interface 24, and an irrigation control unit 25.

[0047] The water supply tank 21 stores water used to irrigate the greening product 10. The water supply tank 21 is connected to the planter 12 of the greening product 10 by piping 15 or the like, and supplies the water in the tank to the culture soil 13. The water supply tank 21 is equipped with water supply equipment including a water supply pump 22 and a water supply valve 23, and water is stored in the tank by opening the water supply valve 23 and operating the water supply pump 22.

[0048] The communication interface 24 is realized by an antenna, a connector, etc. The communication interface 24 exchanges data with the repeater 30 via short-range wireless communication (specifically, for example, wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication, Zigbee (registered trademark) communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc.).

[0049] The irrigation control unit 25 includes a pump control unit 26, a valve control unit 27, a memory 28, and a timer 29. The pump control unit 26 controls the operation of the water supply pump 22. The valve control unit 27 controls the opening and closing of the water supply valve 23.

[0050] Memory 28 includes a ROM (read only memory) and a RAM (random access memory). Memory 28 stores operation programs for water supply pump 22 and water supply valve 23, and also temporarily stores the results of calculations performed by irrigation control unit 25. Timer 29 measures the time of processing performed in irrigation control unit 25, the operating time of water supply pump 22, etc., as necessary.

[0051] The water level sensor 40 includes a sensor unit 41 that measures the water level of the supply water (in this embodiment, the water level in the planter 12), and a communication unit 42. The communication unit 42 is realized by an antenna or the like. The communication unit 42 exchanges data with the repeater 30 via short-range wireless communication (specifically, for example, wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication, Zigbee (registered trademark) communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc.). As a result, water level information of the supply water tank 21 acquired by the sensor unit 41 of the water level sensor 40 is transmitted to the repeater 30, the server 70, etc.

[0052] Furthermore, the communication unit 42 of the water level sensor 40 is capable of short-range wireless communication with the communication interface 24 of the irrigation unit 20. Alternatively, the water level sensor 40 is wired to the communication interface 24 of the irrigation unit 20 via a connector (not shown) or the like. This allows the water level information of the supply water acquired by the sensor unit 41 of the water level sensor 40 to be transmitted directly to the irrigation control unit 25 of the irrigation unit 20 without going through the repeater 30.

[0053] In the irrigation unit 20 having the above-described configuration, under normal conditions (i.e., when wireless communication between each device is performed normally), the irrigation control unit 25 (specifically, the pump control unit 26 and the valve control unit 27) controls the operation of the water supply pump 22 and the water supply valve 23 based on operation instruction signals (e.g., start instruction signals (ON signals), stop instruction signals (e.g., OFF signals), etc.) from the CPU 71 in the server 70.

[0054] For example, when the irrigation unit 20 receives an ON signal transmitted from the server 70 via the repeater 30, the pump control unit 26 activates the water supply pump 22, and the valve control unit 27 opens the water supply valve 23. When the irrigation unit 20 receives an OFF signal transmitted from the server 70 via the repeater 30, the pump control unit 26 stops the water supply pump 22, and the valve control unit 27 closes the water supply valve 23.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the irrigation unit 20 has not received an OFF signal from the CPU 71, if the irrigation status of the green plant 10 satisfies a predetermined condition, the irrigation control unit 25 determines to stop the water supply pump 22 and close the water supply valve 23. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the communication status between the server 70, the repeater 30, and the irrigation unit 20 (for example, if an abnormality occurs in the wireless communication between the server 70 and the repeater 30, or if an abnormality occurs in the short-range wireless communication between the repeater 30 and the irrigation unit 20), irrigation of the green plant 10 can be stopped, and water leakage around the green plant 10 and the irrigation unit 20 can be prevented.

[0056] (Server configuration) Next, we will explain the configuration of the server 70 that makes up the system 1. Fig. 3 shows the configuration of the server 70. The server 70 includes, as its main components, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71, a memory 72, a display 73, an operation unit 74, and a communication interface 75. As the server 70, for example, a cloud server is used.

[0057] The CPU 71 controls each part of the server 70 by executing a program stored in the memory 72. For example, the CPU 71 executes a program stored in the memory 72 and performs various processes by referring to various data. The CPU 71 can also restart the server 70 when a predetermined condition is met.

[0058] The memory 72 is realized by various types of RAM (Random Access Memory), various types of ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The memory 72 stores programs executed by the CPU 71 (for example, a control program for controlling the irrigation unit, a program related to irrigation conditions such as irrigation time), data generated by the execution of the programs by the CPU 71, input data, and various types of data transmitted from each device in the system 1 (for example, water level information transmitted from the water level sensor 40), etc.

[0059] The display 73 displays text and images based on signals from the CPU 71. The operation unit 74 receives commands from the service administrator and inputs the commands to the CPU 71.

[0060] The communication interface 75 receives data from other devices such as the water level sensor 40 and the environmental sensor 50 via the Internet, a carrier network, the repeater 30, etc., and passes the data to the CPU 71. The communication interface 75 also transmits data from the CPU 71 to other devices such as the repeater 30, the irrigation unit 20, and the communication terminal 80 via the Internet, a carrier network, etc.

[0061] (Repeater configuration) Next, we will explain the configuration of the repeater 30 that makes up the system 1. Fig. 4 shows the configuration of the repeater 30. As shown in Fig. 4, the repeater 30 includes a router control unit 31, a memory 32, a display unit 33, an operation unit 34, and a communication interface 35.

[0062] The router control unit 31 controls each unit of the repeater 30 by executing a program stored in the memory 32. The memory 32 is realized by various types of RAM (Random Access Memory), various types of ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The memory 32 stores the program executed by the router control unit 31.

[0063] The display unit 33 includes an LED light and the like. The display unit 33 turns on the LED light based on a signal from the router control unit 31. For example, the router control unit 31 blinks the LED light of the display unit 33 when an abnormality occurs in the communication state between the irrigation unit 20, the server 70, various sensors, and the like.

[0064] The operation unit 34 includes various buttons (e.g., a reset button) that are operated by the user. The content of the operation performed by the user on the operation unit 34 is transmitted to the router control unit 31. For example, when the user presses the reset button, the information is transmitted to the router control unit 31, and the repeater 30 is restarted. The repeater 30 can also restart itself when a predetermined condition is met.

[0065] The communication interface 35 is realized by an antenna and a connector, and exchanges data with other devices via wireless communication, wired communication, or the like.

[0066] The repeater 30 having the above-described configuration relays wireless communication between the server 70 and each device (for example, the watering unit 20, the water level sensor 40, and the environmental sensor 50) arranged in the room R.

[0067] (Control method for indoor greening system) Next, we will explain the method for controlling each device in the indoor greening system 1. First, we will explain the control method when the irrigation unit 20 starts irrigation with reference to FIG.

[0068] In system 1, the process shown in Figure 5 is started, for example, when a user issues an instruction to start watering using communication terminal 80, or when a moisture sensor included in environmental sensor 50 detects that the moisture content of the culture soil 13 is below a predetermined value.

[0069] First, the CPU 71 in the server 70 checks whether communication with the irrigation unit 20 via the repeater 30 is normal. Specifically, the CPU 71 transmits a stop instruction signal (OFF signal) to the irrigation unit 20 via the repeater 30 (step S11).

[0070] If the communication status is normal, the irrigation unit 20 sends a response signal to the repeater 30. Therefore, when the repeater 30 receives the response signal (YES in S12), a start instruction signal (ON signal) is subsequently sent to the irrigation unit 20 (S17). After that, the CPU 71 confirms that the repeater 30 has normally received the response signal (YES in S18), and then instructs the irrigation control unit 25 of the irrigation unit 20 to open the water supply valve 23 and operate the water supply pump 22 (S19). This causes the irrigation unit 20 to start watering the green plant 10.

[0071] On the other hand, if there is a communication failure for some reason, the repeater 30 cannot receive the response signal from the irrigation unit 20 (NO in S12). In this case, the CPU 71 again transmits a stop instruction signal (i.e., a second OFF signal) to the irrigation unit 20 (S13). Here, if it is confirmed that the repeater 30 has normally received the response signal (YES in S14), then a start instruction signal (ON signal) is transmitted to the irrigation unit 20 (S17), and the processing from step S18 is executed as described above.

[0072] On the other hand, if the repeater 30 does not receive a normal response signal even when the second OFF signal is sent (NO in S14), the CPU 71 again sends a stop instruction signal (i.e., a third OFF signal) to the irrigation unit 20 (S15). If it is confirmed that the repeater 30 has received the response signal normally (YES in S16), a start instruction signal (ON signal) is then sent to the irrigation unit 20 (S17), and the process from step S18 is executed as described above.

[0073] On the other hand, if the repeater 30 does not receive a normal response signal even when transmitting the OFF signal for the third time (NO in S16), the repeater 30 transmits an error code indicating a communication abnormality to the server 70 (S20). In response to this, the CPU 71 in the server 70 restarts the repeater 30.

[0074] As described above, in the system 1 according to this embodiment, when the CPU 71 in the server 70 issues an instruction to the irrigation unit 20 to operate, a process is performed to check whether or not a response signal is sent from the irrigation unit 20 to the repeater 30. By performing this process, the system 1 can check whether the communication status within the system 1 is normal when starting irrigation. Furthermore, if there is an abnormality in the communication status within the system 1, the repeater 30 can be restarted to reset the communication status.

[0075] In this embodiment, the repeater 30 repeatedly checks whether it has received a response signal from the irrigation unit 20, and if the number of times it does not receive a response signal exceeds a predetermined value (in the example shown in Figure 5, three or more times), the CPU 71 restarts the repeater 30.

[0076] In another embodiment, the repeater 30 repeatedly checks whether or not it has received a response signal from the irrigation unit 20, and if the number of times it does not receive a response signal exceeds a predetermined value (for example, five times or more), the router control unit 31 in the repeater 30 can restart the repeater 30 at its own discretion. By performing such processing, the repeater 30 can be restarted without an instruction from the CPU 71 that controls the system 1. In this case, the predetermined number of times it does not receive a response signal is preferably larger than the predetermined value when restarting the repeater 30 in response to an instruction from the CPU 71.

[0077] Next, a description will be given of a control method for stopping irrigation by the irrigation unit 20. As described above, in the system 1 of this embodiment, the irrigation unit 20 is configured to stop irrigation at the discretion of the irrigation control unit 25 when the irrigation status of the green plant 10 satisfies a predetermined condition, even if an OFF signal has not been received from the server 70.

[0078] 6 shows the flow of processing within the irrigation unit 20 from the start to the stop of irrigation. When the irrigation unit 20 receives a start instruction signal (ON signal) from the CPU 71 in the server 70 (S31), the irrigation control unit 25 (specifically, the pump control unit 26 and the valve control unit 27) opens the water supply valve 23 and operates the water supply pump 22 (S32). This starts irrigating the green plant 10, and the timer 29 starts measuring the irrigation time (S33).

[0079] Thereafter, when the irrigation unit 20 receives a stop instruction signal (OFF signal) from the CPU 71 in the server 70 (YES in S34), the irrigation control unit 25 closes the water supply valve 23 and stops the water supply pump 22 (S37), thereby ending the irrigation of the green plant 10.

[0080] Furthermore, if the irrigation unit 20 has not received an OFF signal from the CPU 71 (NO in S34), the irrigation control unit 25 checks the water level information transmitted from the water level sensor 40 and determines whether the water level of the supply water is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (S35). If the water level of the supply water reaches or exceeds the predetermined value (YES in S35), the irrigation control unit 25 closes the water supply valve 23 and stops the water supply pump 22 (S37), thereby stopping irrigation.

[0081] Furthermore, if the water level of the supply water is below a predetermined value (NO in S35), the irrigation control unit 25 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the start of irrigation (S36). If the predetermined time has passed since the start of irrigation (YES in S36), the irrigation control unit 25 closes the water supply valve 23 and stops the water supply pump 22 (S37), thereby stopping irrigation.

[0082] If the time that has elapsed since the start of irrigation is less than the predetermined value (NO in S36), steps S34 to S36 are repeated.

[0083] By performing the above-described process, the irrigation unit 20 can stop watering the green plant 10 when the watering status of the green plant 10 meets predetermined conditions, even if the irrigation unit 20 has not received an OFF signal from the server 70. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in the communication status between the server 70, the repeater 30, and the irrigation unit 20, the irrigation unit 20 can stop watering the green plant 10 at the appropriate time, preventing water leakage around the green plant 10 and the irrigation unit 20.

[0084] 6, two conditions, namely, the irrigation time and the water level of the supply water, are adopted as the predetermined conditions, and the irrigation is stopped when the irrigation situation satisfies both conditions. However, in another embodiment, either one of the two conditions, namely, the irrigation time and the water level of the supply water, may be adopted to control the stopping of the irrigation.

[0085] Furthermore, in the system 1 according to this embodiment, when watering is to be stopped, a process may be performed to check whether or not a response signal has been sent from the watering unit 20 to the repeater 30. Figure 7 shows the flow of the process when the system 1 stops watering.

[0086] 7, at the timing of ending the watering, the CPU 71 transmits a stop instruction signal (OFF signal) to the watering unit 20 (step S11). The processes from step S11 to step S16 are performed in the same manner as the processes shown in FIG.

[0087] If the repeater 30 successfully receives a response signal by sending an OFF signal within three times (YES in S12, S14, or S16), the communication status within the system 1 is determined to be normal, and the process is terminated.

[0088] On the other hand, if the repeater 30 does not receive a normal response signal even when transmitting the OFF signal for the third time (NO in S16), the repeater 30 transmits an error code indicating a communication abnormality to the server 70 (S20). In response to this, the CPU 71 in the server 70 restarts the repeater 30.

[0089] By performing such processing, the system 1 can check whether the communication status within the system 1 is normal when watering is completed. Furthermore, if there is an abnormality in the communication status within the system 1, the repeater 30 can be restarted to reset the communication status.

[0090] Next, the flow of processing when the repeater 30 is restarted based on the communication status between the water level sensor 40 and the repeater 30 will be described.

[0091] As described above, in the system 1 of this embodiment, the water level sensor 40 is wirelessly connected to the repeater 30 using short-range wireless communication. This allows the repeater 30 to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor 40. The repeater 30 is configured to restart when the number of times that the repeater 30 is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor 40 reaches a predetermined value (e.g., N times) or more.

[0092] The control method in the system 1 at this time will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the system 1, for example, when a user issues an instruction to start the system 1 using the communication terminal 80, the CPU 71 in the server 70 issues a measurement instruction in response to the instruction, thereby starting the process shown in Fig. 8. The measurement instruction from the CPU 71 may be issued periodically while the system 1 is running.

[0093] First, the CPU 71 in the server 70 transmits a measurement instruction signal to the water level sensor 40 via the repeater 30 (step S51). If there is an abnormality in the communication state within the system 1 (specifically, if the repeater 30 cannot receive measurement data even after a certain period of time has elapsed after transmitting the measurement instruction signal to the water level sensor 40), an error signal is sent from the repeater 30 to the CPU 71.

[0094] Therefore, in S52, it is confirmed whether the repeater 30 has received the measurement result of the water level sensor 40. If the repeater 30 has received the measurement result normally and there is no reception failure (NO in S52), the repeater 30 (specifically, the router control unit 31) resets the counter for the number of errors (S53) and transmits the measurement result to the server 70 (S54). This ends the process.

[0095] On the other hand, if the repeater 30 cannot receive the measurement result normally and an error signal is output (YES in S52), the repeater 30 (specifically, the router control unit 31) counts the number of errors (n) (S55). That is, the number of errors (n=i) stored in the memory 32 is changed to (n=i+1).

[0096] Thereafter, the repeater 30 (specifically, the router control unit 31) checks whether the number of errors n in the memory 32 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value N (S56). If the number of errors n is less than the predetermined value N (NO in S56), the repeater 30 transmits an error signal (error code) to the CPU 71 (S57), and the process ends.

[0097] If the number of errors n is equal to or greater than the predetermined value N (YES in S56), the repeater 30 transmits an error signal (error code) to the CPU 71 (S58), and preparations are made to restart the repeater 30 (S59). For example, the irrigation unit 20 is instructed to stop the operation of the water supply pump 22, etc. Then, the repeater 30 restarts itself.

[0098] As described above, in this embodiment, when the number of times that the repeater 30 is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor 40 exceeds a predetermined value (for example, N times), the router control unit 31 in the repeater 30 is configured to restart the repeater 30 at its own discretion. By performing such processing, the repeater 30 can be restarted without an instruction from the CPU 71 that controls the system 1.

[0099] It is preferable that the predetermined value (e.g., N times) is set to 3 or more. This reduces the possibility of restarting the repeater 30 unnecessarily when an error signal is issued due to a temporary malfunction (i.e., a malfunction that can be quickly recovered) in the water level sensor, communication state, etc.

[0100] In another embodiment, when the number of times that the repeater 30 is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor 40 reaches a predetermined value (e.g., N times) or more, the CPU 71 in the server 70 may restart the repeater 30.

[0101] The control method for the water level sensor 40 described with reference to FIG. 8 can also be applied to other sensors in the system 1, such as the environmental sensor 50.

[0102] (Summary of the first embodiment) As described above, the indoor greening system 1 according to this embodiment includes at least one irrigation unit 20 that irrigates the green plants 10 placed indoors (e.g., room R), and a control unit (e.g., CPU 71) that is wirelessly connected to the irrigation unit 20 and controls the irrigation unit 20. The irrigation unit 20 starts irrigating the green plants 10 based on a start command from the control unit. Furthermore, when the irrigation status of the green plants 10 meets a predetermined condition, the irrigation unit 20 stops irrigating the green plants 10 without receiving a stop command from the control unit.

[0103] According to the above configuration, when the watering status of the greening plant 10 meets a predetermined condition, the watering unit 20 can stop watering the greening plant 10 even if it has not received a stop command from the control unit. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in the wireless communication between the watering unit and the control unit, watering the greening plant 10 can be stopped at the appropriate time, and water overflow from the greening plant can be prevented. This makes it possible to prevent water leakage around the greening plant 10 and the watering unit 20 located indoors, and to properly maintain the greening plant 10.

[0104] The system 1 according to this embodiment is particularly suitable for use when the greening product 10 does not have a drainage function. This allows for safer maintenance of the greening product 10 that does not have a drainage function and is therefore more susceptible to overflowing water.

[0105] <Second embodiment> In the second embodiment, a configuration example of an indoor greening system 201 that does not have a repeater will be described. Fig. 9 shows a schematic configuration of the indoor greening system 201 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the system 201) according to the second embodiment. The system 201 includes, as main components, a greening product 10, a watering unit 20, a water level sensor 40, an environmental sensor 50, and a server 270.

[0106] The greening product 10, the irrigation unit 20, the water level sensor 40, and the environment sensor 50 can have the same configuration as that described in the first embodiment.

[0107] 10 shows the configuration of the server 270. The server 270 may be, for example, a server used in a relatively small-scale environment, such as an in-house server. The server 270 and other devices in the system 201 (e.g., the greening product 10, the irrigation unit 20, the water level sensor 40, etc.) are wirelessly connected using short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication, Zigbee (registered trademark) communication, or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. The server 270 and the environmental sensor 50 may be wirelessly connected like the other devices, or may be wired.

[0108] The server 270 may be located in the same room R as the greening products 10, etc., or may be located in a different location from the room R in which the greening products 10, etc. are located but within a relatively short distance from the greening products 10, etc. (for example, in the same building as the room R).

[0109] The control method for each device in system 201 can be performed in a manner generally similar to that in the first embodiment. Note that the processing performed by router control unit 31 in repeater 30 in the first embodiment can be performed by CPU 71 in server 270.

[0110] The system 201 according to this embodiment can be suitably used as a system for maintaining and managing greening articles 10 in a relatively small-scale environment.

[0111] <Third embodiment> In the above-described embodiment, a configuration example has been described in which the CPU 71 (control unit) provided in the server 70 controls all the devices in the system 1, such as the irrigation unit 20. In the third embodiment, a configuration example will be described in which the control unit 331 in the repeater 330 controls all the devices, such as the irrigation unit 20.

[0112] 11 shows the configuration of a repeater 330 provided in an indoor greening system 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as system 1) according to this embodiment. The overall configuration of the system 1 is as shown in FIG.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 11, the repeater 330 includes a control unit 331, a memory 32, a display unit 33, an operation unit 34, a communication interface 35, and the like.

[0114] In this embodiment, the control unit 331 in the repeater 330 controls the irrigation unit 20. That is, the irrigation unit 20 starts irrigating the green plant 10 based on a start instruction from the control unit 331. That is, when the irrigation unit 20 receives a start instruction signal (ON BEDDING) from the control unit 331 in the repeater 330, the irrigation control unit 25 in the irrigation unit 20 opens the water supply valve 23 and operates the water supply pump 22. Furthermore, when the irrigation unit 20 receives a stop instruction signal (OFF signal) from the control unit 331 in the repeater 330, the irrigation control unit 25 stops the water supply pump 22 and closes the water supply valve 23.

[0115] The control method for each device in the system 1 can be performed in a manner generally similar to that in the first embodiment.

[0116] The system 1 has the above-described configuration, and is therefore able to grasp the watering status of the greening articles 10 and automatically water the greening articles 10 as necessary.

[0117] <Other application examples> As described above, a plurality of servers or relays may perform part or all of the roles of the server 70 described in the first embodiment. Also, a server may perform part or all of the roles of the relay 30 described in the first embodiment.

[0118] It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to cases where the invention is achieved by supplying a control program to a system or device.The effects of the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a storage medium (or memory) storing a program represented by software for achieving the invention to the system or device, and having the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or device read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

[0119] In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium will realize the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code will constitute the present invention.

[0120] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the various embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0121] FIG. 12 shows the overall configuration of an indoor greening system 1 according to a modified example. In the indoor greening system 1 shown in FIG. 12, the configuration of the irrigation unit 420 differs from that of the above-described embodiment. The irrigation unit 420 does not include a water supply tank or a water supply pump. The irrigation unit 420 is directly connected to a water pipe. The irrigation control unit 25 in the irrigation unit 420 starts and stops watering the greened product 10 by opening and closing the water supply valve 23. The same method as in the above-described embodiment can be applied to control the irrigation unit 420. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 1: Indoor greening system 10: Green products 20: Irrigation department 21: Supply tank 22: Water supply pump 23: Water supply valve 25: Irrigation control unit 30: Repeater 31: Router control unit 40: Water level sensor 70: Server 71: CPU (control unit) 201: Indoor greening system 270: Server 330: Repeater 331: Control unit R: Indoors

Claims

1. At least one irrigation unit that irrigates greenery arranged indoors; a control unit that is wirelessly connected to the irrigation unit and controls the irrigation unit; An indoor greening system comprising: the irrigation unit starts irrigating the green plants based on a start instruction from the control unit, When the watering status of the green plants satisfies a predetermined condition, the watering unit stops watering the green plants without receiving a stop instruction from the control unit. Indoor greening system.

2. The predetermined condition is that the irrigation time reaches a predetermined value. The indoor greening system according to claim 1 .

3. a water level sensor for measuring the level of water supplied to the greenery; The predetermined condition is that the water level sensor indicates a predetermined water level or higher. The indoor greening system according to claim 1 .

4. Further comprising a repeater that relays wireless communication between the control unit and the watering unit. The indoor greening system according to claim 1 .

5. the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when transmitting an operation instruction signal to the irrigation unit, the control unit checks whether the repeater has received the response signal after transmitting the operation instruction signal, and restarts the repeater when the number of times the repeater has not received the response signal reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 4.

6. the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when transmitting an operation instruction signal to the irrigation unit, the repeater checks whether the response signal has been received after transmitting the operation instruction signal, and restarts when the number of times the response signal has not been received reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 4.

7. Further, a water level sensor is included to measure the water level of the water supplied to the greenery. The repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor, The control unit restarts the relay when the number of times the relay is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 4.

8. Further, a water level sensor is included to measure the water level of the water supplied to the greenery. The repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor, The repeater restarts when the number of times it is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 4.

9. A server on the cloud a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the watering unit; further comprising The control unit is included in the repeater. The indoor greening system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. The indoor greening system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is located in a server on a cloud.

11. The water supply system further includes a repeater that repeats wireless communication between the server and the water supply unit. the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when transmitting an operation instruction signal to the irrigation unit, the control unit checks whether the repeater has received the response signal after transmitting the operation instruction signal, and restarts the repeater when the number of times the repeater has not received the response signal reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 10.

12. The water supply system further includes a repeater that repeats wireless communication between the server and the water supply unit. the repeater is configured to receive a response signal from the irrigation unit when transmitting an operation instruction signal to the irrigation unit, the repeater checks whether the response signal has been received after transmitting the operation instruction signal, and restarts when the number of times the response signal has not been received reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 10.

13. a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the watering unit; a water level sensor for measuring the water level of the water supplied to the greening product; further comprising The repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor, The control unit restarts the relay when the number of times the relay is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 10.

14. a repeater that relays wireless communication between the server and the watering unit; a water level sensor for measuring the water level of the water supplied to the greening product; further comprising The repeater is configured to be able to periodically receive the measurement value of the water level sensor, The repeater restarts when the number of times it is unable to receive the measurement value of the water level sensor reaches a predetermined value or more. The indoor greening system according to claim 10.

15. The indoor greening system according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to be able to restart itself.

16. 4. The indoor greening system according to claim 1, which is for watering the greenery that does not have a drainage function.

17. A control method for controlling the operation of at least one irrigation unit that irrigates green plants arranged indoors, comprising: The irrigation unit controls the greening plant to start irrigating the greening plant based on a start command from an external control unit that can wirelessly communicate with the irrigation unit, When the watering status of the green plants satisfies a predetermined condition, the watering of the green plants is stopped without receiving a stop instruction from the control unit.

18. A control program for causing the irrigation unit to execute the control method according to claim 17.

Images