Fruit bags
The fruit bag with a piezoelectric sensor module and wireless module automates fruit growth monitoring, reducing labor and risk of damage, enhancing cultivation efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KOITO MFG CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing fruit cultivation systems require laborious daily checks of individual fruit growth status, which is burdensome and risky due to vibration-induced fruit dropping, especially when using conventional monitoring systems.
A fruit bag equipped with a sensor module containing a piezoelectric element and wireless module that detects fruit growth by generating a voltage when the fruit reaches a predetermined size, transmitting a wireless signal for harvest readiness.
Reduces the workload of checking fruit conditions by automatically detecting harvest readiness, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of fruit damage from vibration.
Smart Images
Figure 2026112701000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to a fruit bag.
Background Art
[0002] In fruit cultivation, it is desirable to monitor the growth status of fruits for determining the harvest time and the like. Patent Document 1 discloses a fruit growth monitoring system for monitoring the growth status of fruits during the enlargement process.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In fruit cultivation, it is desirable to harvest a large number of fruits with a certain quality. However, since the growth status varies for each individual, it is necessary to check the status of each individual daily, which places a burden on the operator. Conventionally, a system for monitoring the status of fruits using information and communication technology as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. However, for example, the technique of Patent Document 1 has problems such as the laboriousness of installing a unit including a vibrator for each branch and the risk of dropping fruits by applying vibration to the branch. \n
[0005] An object of this disclosure is to provide a fruit bag that can reduce the work burden related to checking the status of fruits.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] A fruit bag according to an embodiment of this disclosure is a fruit bag including a sensor module having a piezoelectric element and a wireless module, The piezoelectric element is positioned inside the fruit bag and is configured to come into contact with the piezoelectric element when the fruit enclosed in the fruit bag grows to a predetermined size. The sensor module sends a wired signal to the wireless module based on the voltage generated in response to the force applied from the fruit to the piezoelectric element. The wireless module transmits a wireless signal to the outside based on the wired signal sent from the sensor module. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to this disclosure, the workload involved in checking the condition of the fruit can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a fruit bag according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a system block diagram of a fruit bag according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This figure shows the fruit wrapped in a fruit bag according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] The fruit bags of this disclosure are used to cover growing fruits for purposes such as protection from pests, pathogens, wind and rain, and color management. The fruit bags of this disclosure can be used for the cultivation of fruits such as pears, apples, grapes, peaches, mangoes, kiwis, oranges, and loquats. An embodiment of the fruit bag of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0010] Figure 1 is a front view of a fruit bag according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the fruit bag 1 comprises a bag body 2 and a wire 3 provided at the upper corner of the bag body 2. An opening 21 is provided at the top of the bag body 2. By placing a growing fruit inside the bag body 2 through the opening 21 and tying the wire 3 to a branch or fruit stalk of a fruit tree to close the opening 21, the growing fruit can be wrapped in the fruit bag 1. The bag body 2 is made of, for example, paper or resin, and specifically may be made of polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, or polyvinyl chloride resin. The bag body 2 may be transparent to visible light or opaque.
[0011] A sensor module 4 is positioned on the inner surface of the fruit bag 1. A wireless module 5 is positioned on the lower inner surface of the fruit bag 1. The sensor module 4 and the wireless module 5 are connected by a cable 6, allowing wired signals to be sent from the sensor module 4 to the wireless module 5. In Figure 1, the components positioned inside the fruit bag 1 are shown with dashed lines.
[0012] The fruit bag 1 can detect when the fruit has grown to a predetermined size suitable for harvesting using the sensor module 4, and can transmit the detected result to the outside via the wireless module 5. Here, the specific configuration of the sensor module 4 and wireless module 5 for realizing the above functions will be explained with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a system block diagram of the fruit bag 1. As shown in Figure 2, the sensor module 4 includes a piezoelectric element 41, a rectifier circuit 42, and a capacitor 43.
[0013] The piezoelectric element 41 is a device that converts applied force into a voltage by utilizing the piezoelectric effect. In this embodiment, as the fruit enclosed in the fruit bag 1 grows to a predetermined size, the fruit comes into contact with the piezoelectric element 41 placed inside the fruit bag 1, and a voltage is generated when a force is applied to the piezoelectric element 41. The piezoelectric element 41 typically has a configuration in which a piezoelectric body is sandwiched between two electrodes, and a voltage is generated between the electrodes when a force is applied to the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric element 41 may be constructed by stacking multiple piezoelectric bodies and electrodes. The type of piezoelectric body is not limited and may be a ceramic or a polymer. The piezoelectric element 41 may be formed directly inside the bag 2 by, for example, the sol-gel method, sputtering method, or MOCVD (metal-organic vapor deposition) method. The sensor module 4 may include two or more piezoelectric elements 41.
[0014] The piezoelectric element 41 can generate an alternating current voltage in response to the force applied by the fruit. The rectifier circuit 42 is a circuit for rectifying the alternating current voltage generated by the piezoelectric element 41 and converting it into direct current. The rectifier circuit 42 may be composed of a single rectifier element (diode) or it may be a bridge circuit composed of multiple rectifier elements.
[0015] The capacitor 43 typically has two opposing plates and is configured to be charged by the output from the rectifier circuit 42, which accumulates charge on both plates. As a result, the voltage generated by the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element 41 is stored as electrical energy in the capacitor 43. When the capacitor 43 is charged, the energy stored in the capacitor 43 is used to send a wired signal from the sensor module 4 to the wireless module 5. The sensor module 4 may be configured to send a wired signal to the wireless module 5 when the charge stored in the capacitor 43 exceeds a predetermined threshold.
[0016] The wireless module 5 is a device that transmits a wireless signal externally based on the wired signal sent from the sensor module 4. The wireless module 5 can be a wireless tag such as an RF (Radio Frequency) tag, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless module 5 of the present embodiment includes an IC chip 51 and an antenna 52.
[0017] The IC chip 51 receives the wired signal sent from the sensor module 4 and records the fact that it has received the wired signal as information. The IC chip 51 may include an amplifier that amplifies the wired signal sent from the sensor module 4. In order to eliminate the influence of noise, the IC chip 51 may be configured to determine that it has received the wired signal from the sensor module 4 only when the magnitude of the wired signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.
[0018] The wireless module 5 operates, for example, by receiving electromagnetic waves emitted from an external reader 90 with the antenna 52, and transmits the information recorded in the IC chip 51 to the external reader 90 as a wireless signal. The reader 90 is an external device that operates the wireless module 5 and receives a wireless signal from the wireless module 5. The reader 90 may be operated by the operator's operation, or may be set to operate automatically at a predetermined interval such as every 24 hours. The reader 90 may be configured to notify the operator when it receives a wireless signal from the wireless module 5.
[0019] The frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for communication between the wireless module 5 and the reader 90 is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, the LF band (120 - 130 kHz), the HF band (13.56 MHz), the UHF band (860 - 920 MHz), or the microwave band (2.45 GHz). In order for the base reader 90 to communicate with the wireless modules 5 of a plurality of fruit bags 1, it is preferable to use the UHF band or the microwave band with a long communication distance.
[0020] Returning to FIG. 1, a fastening member 7 is attached to the outer surface of the fruit bag 1. The fastening member 7 includes a band 71 arranged to surround the outer periphery of the fruit bag 1 and a fixture 72. By changing the fixing position by the fixture 72, the inner diameter of the band 71 can be adjusted, and thereby the size of the space inside the fruit bag 1 can be arbitrarily adjusted.
[0021] FIG. 3 shows a state in which a fruit 100 attached to the tip of a fruit stalk 102 branched from a fruit tree branch 101 is wrapped by the fruit bag 1 according to this embodiment. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the fruit 100 has grown to a predetermined size to be harvested. The width of the fruit bag 1 wrapping the fruit 100 is adjusted according to the size of the fruit 100 at the harvesting stage by adjusting the fastening member 7. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the width of the fruit bag 1 is adjusted so that the fruit 100 grown to a predetermined size just contacts the inner surface of the fruit bag 1. Thereby, the fruit 100 contacts the piezoelectric element 41 arranged on the inner surface of the fruit bag 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, two piezoelectric elements 41 are arranged on the inner surface of the fruit bag 1 so as to face each other with the fruit 100 sandwiched therebetween. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the fruit 100 is in contact with both of the two opposing piezoelectric elements 41.
[0022] The piezoelectric element 41 generates a voltage by the piezoelectric effect in response to the force applied from the contacting fruit 100. More specifically, the piezoelectric element 41 generates an alternating voltage as the magnitude of the force applied from the fruit 100 varies. Since the growing fruit 100 swings under the influence of wind and vibration, for example, an alternating voltage is generated in the piezoelectric element 41 as the magnitude of the force applied to each piezoelectric element 41 varies due to the swinging of the fruit 100. The alternating voltage generated in the piezoelectric element 41 is rectified by the rectifier circuit 42, and the capacitor 43 is charged by the output from the rectifier circuit 42. After the capacitor 43 is charged, a wired signal can be sent from the sensor module 4 to the wireless module 5 using the energy stored in the capacitor 43.
[0023] As described above, the sensor module 4 uses the piezoelectric effect to detect when the fruit 100 has grown to a predetermined size and is ready for harvest, and sends a wired signal to the wireless module 5, which in turn can send a wireless signal to the outside. This allows workers to recognize when the fruit 100 has reached a predetermined size and is ready for harvest without having to individually check the condition of each fruit 100.
[0024] Traditionally, the timing of fruit harvesting was determined by workers checking the growth status of each individual fruit. However, checking the growth status of each fruit was a significant burden for workers. This was especially true when the fruit was covered with opaque bags that prevented visibility of the inside, making it time-consuming to check the condition of the fruit.
[0025] According to the fruit bag 1 of this embodiment, the sensor module 4 can detect when the fruit 100 has grown to a predetermined size by utilizing the piezoelectric effect, and the detected result can be received as a wireless signal by an external reader 90. This allows workers to identify and harvest fruits 100 that have grown to a predetermined size without having to individually check the condition of each fruit 100. Therefore, by using the fruit bag 1 of this embodiment, the workload related to checking the condition of the fruit 100 can be reduced, and work efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, since fruit bags themselves have been conventionally used for purposes such as protection from pests, pathogens, wind and rain, and color management, workers only need to use the fruit bag 1 of this embodiment in place of the fruit bags they have been using, so no additional workload is incurred.
[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, two piezoelectric elements 41 are arranged on the inner surface of the fruit bag 1 so as to face each other with the fruit 100 in between. With this configuration, force is efficiently transmitted from the fruit 100 to the piezoelectric elements 41, so the electrical energy generated by the piezoelectric effect increases, and the detection accuracy improves.
[0027] In this embodiment, the sensor module 4 has a rectifier circuit 42 and a capacitor 43, and the wired signal is sent to the wireless module 5 using the energy stored in the charged capacitor 43. Because the fruit 100 sways due to the effects of wind and vibration, it may come into contact with the piezoelectric element 41 even before it has grown to a sufficient size, potentially generating a voltage. However, the electrical energy generated by such accidental contact is considered to be very small compared to the electrical energy generated by contact when the fruit 100 has grown to a sufficient size, as shown in Figure 3. With the configuration of this embodiment, a wired signal can be sent when a certain amount of energy has been stored in the capacitor 43, so it is possible to distinguish and detect accidental contact between the fruit 100 and the piezoelectric element 41 before growth and contact between the fruit 100 and the piezoelectric element 41 after growth.
[0028] In this embodiment, the size of the internal space surrounding the fruit bag 1 that encloses the fruit 100 can be adjusted by adjusting the fastening member 7. Therefore, it can be used to detect the growth of various types and varieties of fruit 100, regardless of the size of the bag 2.
[0029] The fruit bags of this disclosure have been described above with reference to specific embodiments, but this disclosure is not limited to these examples.
[0030] In the above description, the oscillation of the fruit 100 was given as an example of the mechanism by which a voltage is generated by contact between the piezoelectric element 41 and the fruit 100, but this is merely one possible example. Various mechanisms can be assumed for the mechanism by which a voltage is generated by contact between the piezoelectric element 41 and the fruit 100, depending on the shape of the fruit 100, the arrangement of the piezoelectric element 41, signal processing such as noise reduction, etc., and the mechanism assumed in this disclosure is not particularly limited.
[0031] In the above embodiment, the piezoelectric element 41 was provided on the inner surface of the fruit bag 1, but the location of the piezoelectric element 41 is not limited to the side and can be placed anywhere inside the fruit bag 1. The piezoelectric element 41 may be placed, for example, at the bottom of the fruit bag 1 which has a gusset at the bottom. Also, in the above embodiment, two piezoelectric elements 41 were arranged facing each other with the fruit 100 in between, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the fruit bag 1 of this disclosure may have three or more piezoelectric elements. A strip-shaped piezoelectric element 41 may be arranged along the inner circumference of the fruit bag 1 so as to surround the fruit 100.
[0032] In the above embodiment, the wireless module 5 is described as operating by receiving electromagnetic waves emitted from the reader 90, but the wireless module 5 is not limited to such a passive type. For example, the wireless module 5 may be an active type that operates using a power source such as a button battery. Alternatively, the wireless module 5 may be a semi-active type that has a power source but reduces power consumption by operating only when electromagnetic waves are emitted from the reader 90 or the like.
[0033] In the embodiment described above, a configuration in which the sensor module 4 and the wireless module 5 are connected by a cable 6 was explained, but the cable 6 is not essential in this disclosure. For example, the fruit bag 1 may have a single device that combines the sensor module 4 and the wireless module 5. When the cable 6 is used, the degree of freedom in arranging the sensor module 4 and the wireless module 5 inside the fruit bag 1 is increased. On the other hand, if the cable 6 is not used, the number of parts can be reduced and the fruit bag 1 can be made lighter. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0034] 1 Fruit bag 2 bags 21 Aperture 3 wires 4 Sensor Modules 41 Piezoelectric element 42 Rectifier circuit 43 Capacitors 5 Wireless Module 51 IC chips 52 Antennas 6 Cables 7. Fastening Member 71 bands 72 Fixtures 90 Leader 100 fruits 101 branches 102 Fruit stalk
Claims
1. A fruit bag comprising a sensor module having a piezoelectric element and a wireless module, The piezoelectric element is positioned inside the fruit bag and is configured to come into contact with the piezoelectric element when the fruit enclosed in the fruit bag grows to a predetermined size. The sensor module sends a wired signal to the wireless module based on the voltage generated in response to the force applied from the fruit to the piezoelectric element. The aforementioned wireless module transmits a wireless signal to the outside based on the wired signal sent from the sensor module, and is a fruit bag.
2. The sensor module has at least two of the piezoelectric elements, The fruit bag according to claim 1, wherein two piezoelectric elements are arranged on the inner surface of the fruit bag so as to face each other with the fruit in between.
3. The sensor module further comprises a rectifier circuit and a capacitor. The rectifier circuit rectifies the voltage generated by the piezoelectric element, The capacitor is charged by the output from the rectifier circuit. The fruit bag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wired signal is sent to the wireless module using the energy stored in the charged capacitor.
4. The fruit bag according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a tightening member for adjusting the size of the internal space of the fruit bag.