Integrated management system for smart farms using multi-hop networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated management system for a smart farm using a multi-hop network. More specifically, the present invention relates to an integrated management system for a smart farm in which a sensor node and a control node for the growth environment of cultivated crops are provided inside a smart farm house, and a multi-hop network is formed in which the sensor nodes and control nodes of various adjacent houses are connected to a drone node via a single gateway, and a management server connected to the gateway evaluates the growth status of cultivated crops, etc., to provide an optimal growth environment.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated management system for a smart farm using a multi-hop network, and more specifically, to an integrated management system for a smart farm in which a sensor node and a control node for the growing environment of cultivated crops are provided inside a house of a smart farm, and a multi-hop network is formed in which the sensor nodes and control nodes of various adjacent houses are connected to a drone node by a single gateway, and a management server connected to the gateway evaluates the growth status of cultivated crops, etc., to provide an optimal growing environment. [Background technology]

[0002] Agriculture, which produces food essential for human survival, is heavily influenced by the natural environment, including soil and climate, making it difficult to innovate technologically compared to other industrial sectors. Despite these limitations, so-called smart farm technology is gaining attention as it improves production and management efficiency by incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and drones into the production and consumption processes of various agricultural products.

[0003] For example, Domestic Registered Patent No. 10-1726257 (April 6, 2017) discloses a smart farm information management system that provides product sales information that changes according to the growth information of managed crops, and Registered Patent No. 10-2331141 (November 22, 2021) discloses an improved smart farm management system that uses machine learning technology to provide optimal operating methods based on the characteristics of cultivated crops, installation location, climate, etc.

[0004] In addition, Registered Patent No. 10-2334681 (November 30, 2021) discloses a smart farm control device that provides an optimal growing environment by referring to a remote reference farm where the same crop is sown, and Registered Patent No. 10-2371909 (March 3, 2022) discloses a smart farm crop monitoring system that uses drones to monitor crop growth and pest status. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-1726257 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent No. 10-2331141 [Patent Document 3] Korean Patent No. 10-2334681 [Patent Document 4] Korean Patent No. 10-2371909 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In general, a smart farm has a structure in which a sensor unit and a control unit are installed inside a greenhouse where crops are cultivated, and the sensor unit and the control unit are connected to a management server via a gateway. However, in conventional smart farms, a gateway must be separately provided for each greenhouse to connect the sensor unit and the control unit to the management server.

[0007] Therefore, in the case of a smart farm consisting of multiple houses, it is difficult to build a system that can integrate and manage the growing environment of each house. In particular, when a new house is added to an existing smart farm house that is in operation, or when a remote house that is geographically more than several kilometers away from an existing gateway is operated, it is difficult to expand the communication network that can manage it in an integrated manner.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an integrated management system for a smart farm that can efficiently and integrally manage the growing environment of each house in a smart farm consisting of multiple houses, and in particular, that makes it extremely easy to expand the communication network to additional houses or remote houses that are geographically far away.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated management system for smart farms that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to provide an optimal growing environment for each cultivated crop or to improve and level the growth level of cultivated crops, thereby improving crop productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The integrated management system for a smart farm according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a sensor node 10 that measures the growth environment of crops etc. cultivated inside a house H of a smart farm and generates environmental data, a control node 20 that controls the growth environment, a drone node 30 that photographs the growth state of the crops etc. and generates a growth image, a gateway 40 that connects the sensor node 10, the control node 20 and the drone node 30 via an Internet communication network, a management server 50 to which environmental data and growth images of each house H are respectively transmitted, classified and stored via the gateway 40 and which issues control commands to the control node 20, and a user terminal 60 that can view the environmental data and growth images from the management server 50 and input the control commands.

[0011] The sensor node 10 and the control node 20 are characterized in that the sensor node 10 and the control node 20, which are located in various adjacent houses H, form a multi-hop network in which they act as routers for each other with one gateway 40 as the destination node.

[0012] In addition, the drone node 30 is characterized by flying within or between houses H and connecting the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 to each other, or acting as a mobile relay node connecting them to the gateway 40.

[0013] In addition, the drone node 30 is further characterized by being equipped with an environmental sensor that measures the growth environment of crops, etc. cultivated inside the house H and calculates environmental data.

[0014] In addition, the drone node 30 is characterized in that it flies a certain distance after environmental data generated by the sensor node 10 is downloaded wirelessly, or stores environmental data or growth images generated by the drone node 30 and transmits them to the gateway 40, and also flies a certain distance after control commands are downloaded wirelessly from the management server 50 and transmits them to the gateway 40.

[0015] The management server 50 compares and analyzes the growth images provided by the drone node 30 to evaluate the growth status of the crops cultivated in each house H, and issues control commands via the gateway 40 so that the control node 20 provides an optimal growth environment for the cultivated crops.

[0016] In addition, the management server 50 is characterized in that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate the growth status of the crops cultivated in each house H, and also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to derive the optimal growth environment for the crops.

[0017] In addition, the management server 50 compares the growth images provided by the drone nodes 30 to select the superior house with the best crop growth condition, and issues a control command to house H with relatively poor crop growth condition to maintain the same growth environment as the superior house. Effect of the Invention

[0018] The smart farm integrated management system of the present invention has multiple houses connected by a single multi-hop network, making it easy to integrate and manage the smart farm.When a new house is added, the sensor node and control node of the new house can be easily connected to the multi-hop network.Furthermore, it has the advantage that communication can be extended to remote houses that are geographically far away or houses in areas not connected to the Internet by using a drone node.

[0019] In addition, the integrated management system of the smart farm of the present invention has the effect that the management server uses artificial intelligence (AI) to derive the optimal growing environment for the crops grown in each greenhouse, or uses superior greenhouses to improve and level out the growth levels of crops grown in multiple greenhouses, thereby ultimately improving crop productivity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a smart farm integrated management system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, detailed description will be omitted for configurations that are essential for implementing the present invention, but that have been introduced in the prior art or that can be easily implemented by ordinary engineers from known techniques. Among the components belonging to the present invention, the names of "part" or "means" are units that process at least one common function or operation, and can be realized by combining hardware and software.

[0022] In addition, the main terms used to describe the present invention have meanings specifically defined according to the purpose of the present invention. In the present invention, the house H is a facility having an independent cultivation space to provide a controllable growth environment under conditions isolated from natural conditions, and includes, for example, a glass greenhouse, a vinyl greenhouse, a container farm, etc. In addition, the smart farm refers to a farm in which a plurality of houses H, which are separated from each other, are connected to a server via one gateway and are managed and operated by one communication network.

[0023] As shown in the attached Fig. 1, the smart farm management system according to the present invention is configured to include a sensor node 10 and a control node 20 provided inside a house H of a smart farm, a drone node 30 flying inside or outside the house H, a gateway 40 connecting the nodes 10, 20, 30, etc. via an Internet communication network, a management sub 50 connected to the gateway 40 by wired or wireless communication, and a user terminal 60. In the attached Fig. 1, for convenience, a case where there are three houses H is illustrated, but the number of the houses H can be continuously expanded as necessary.

[0024] The sensor node 10 functions to measure the growth environment of cultivated crops and the like in the house H of the smart farm and generate various environmental data according to the results. The environmental data can include all factors that affect the growth of cultivated crops, such as the temperature, humidity, amount of sunlight, humidity of culture soil, CO2 concentration, concentration of nutrient solution, spraying period of nutrient solution, temperature of the root zone of the crop, etc., inside the house H. For this purpose, a plurality of environmental sensors capable of measuring the environmental data can be connected to the sensor node 10 by wire or wirelessly. One or more sensor nodes 10 can be provided for each house H.

[0025] The control node 20 functions to control the growth environment in each house H. To this end, control means for controlling the growth environment may be connected to the control node 20 by wire or wirelessly. The control means may include a heater, an air conditioner, an LED light, a humidity regulator, a culture solution sprayer, a CO2 generator, etc. One control node 20 may be provided for each house H, or a plurality of control nodes may be provided as necessary.

[0026] The drone node 30 first takes pictures of the growing conditions of crops, etc., cultivated inside the greenhouse H to generate a growing image. The growing image refers to an image that allows one to grasp the density of crops and their fruits per unit area, the size of the crops and their fruits, the color of the crops and their fruits, etc. The drone node 30 may use a drone specially manufactured for the present invention, or may use a drone equipped with a camera and a communication means capable of achieving the object of the present invention in a general agricultural drone. The drone node 30 may share one drone for multiple greenhouses H.

[0027] The gateway 40 functions to connect the sensor node 10, the control node 20, and the drone node 30 through an Internet communication network. The gateway 40 can be installed at an appropriate location within the smart farm to communicate with a plurality of houses H, and a conventional gateway can also be used.

[0028] The management server 50 receives the environmental data and growth images of each house H via the gateway 40, classifies and stores the data by house, crop and date, and issues a control command to the control means connected to the control node 20 to adjust the growth environment inside the house H. The management server 50 can be connected to the gateway 40 via a general internet.

[0029] The user terminal 60 can view the environmental data and growth images stored in the management server 50 and display them to the user by house, crop, and date. The user can check the growth state and growth environment of the crops cultivated in each house H in real time through his / her user terminal 60. The user can also input control commands for the control node 20 to the management server 50 using the user terminal 60. The user terminal 60 can be a smartphone, a PC, or the like.

[0030] According to the present invention, the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 configure an integrated network that is connected to each other by multi-hop routing with one gateway 40 as the destination node. That is, the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 installed in the same house H, as well as the nodes 10 and 20 installed in various neighboring houses H, act as routers to each other and transmit packets provided from the source node to the destination node. It is preferable that such a multi-hop network has a mash topology.

[0031] Specifically, if any one of the sensor nodes 10 is unable to directly transmit the environmental data it has generated to the gateway 40, it designates the destination node of a packet containing the environmental data as the gateway 40, and transmits the data to the node with the best communication status among other surrounding sensor nodes 10 that can transmit and the control node 20. At this time, the sensor node 10 that generated the environmental data becomes the starting node, and the node to which the packet of the starting node is transmitted becomes the primary relay node.

[0032] The primary relay node confirms that the destination node of the packet is not itself, and transmits the packet again to the node with the best communication status among the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 that can transmit the packet. In this way, the node to which the packet of the primary relay node is transmitted becomes the secondary relay node. This kind of routing relay is repeated until the packet of the departure node is transmitted to the gateway 40, which is the destination node.

[0033] A control command given from the management server 50 to the control node 20 is also transmitted in this multi-hop routing manner. In this case, however, the gateway 40 becomes the starting node, and the control node 20 receiving the control command becomes the destination node. In such a multi-hop network, if some of the sensor nodes 10 and control nodes 20 cannot communicate due to a malfunction or power exhaustion, the packet bypasses the incapable node and selects another relay node that can communicate as a router. Thus, the packet is transmitted from the starting node to the destination node along the most efficient routing path.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor node 10 may be configured to include a data collection unit that manages the environmental sensors connected thereto and collects environmental data therefrom, a packet generation unit that converts the environmental data into a digital signal and generates a packet, a destination node setting unit that sets the destination node for the packet as the gateway 40, a packet receiving unit that receives packets from other surrounding nodes, a router selection unit that determines a router to transmit the packet, and a packet transmission unit that transmits packets to the router.

[0035] In addition, the control node 20 can be configured to include a control command receiving unit that receives control commands issued from the management server 50, a control means management unit that controls the control means connected to it in accordance with the control commands, a packet receiving unit that receives packets from other surrounding nodes, a router selection unit that determines the router to which the packets should be transmitted, and a packet transmitting unit that transmits packets to the router.

[0036] Meanwhile, the drone node 30 serves as a mobile relay node that connects the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 to each other or to the gateway 40 while flying inside or between houses H. That is, the drone node 30 can be a departure node that transmits a growth image that it has generated, or it can function as a relay node that receives a packet from another departure node or relay node and transmits it to another node or gateway. In this way, when the drone node 30 is used as a mobile relay node, a smooth multi-hop network can be constructed using the drone node 30 as a router even in an area where communication failure occurs due to failure or power exhaustion of the sensor node 10 or the control node 20, or in an area where communication failure occurs due to the distance between the houses H being too far.

[0037] The drone node 30 may be configured to include a frame unit having drone wings, a distance detection sensor that detects the distance to crops during flight and avoids collision with objects in front, a camera unit that photographs the growth state of cultivated crops, etc., a packet generation unit that converts the images photographed by the camera unit into digital signals and generates packets containing growth images, a destination node setting unit that sets the destination node for the packets as the gateway 40, a packet receiving unit that receives packets from other surrounding nodes, a router selection unit that determines the router to which the packets will be transmitted, and a packet transmitting unit that transmits packets to the router.

[0038] In addition, the drone node 30 may be equipped with an environmental sensor capable of measuring the growth environment of crops cultivated inside the greenhouse H and calculating environmental data. The environmental sensor equipped on the drone node 30 may be one or more of a temperature sensor, an illuminance sensor, and a CO2 sensor. In this way, by installing an environmental sensor on the drone node 30, the growth environment can be measured using the environmental sensor installed on the drone node 30 even in an area where the sensor node 10 is not installed or in an area where the sensor node 10 has malfunctioned due to a breakdown or power outage.

[0039] In addition, the drone node 30 can wirelessly download environmental data generated by the sensor node 10, or store the environmental data or growth image generated by itself, and transmit it to the gateway 40 after moving and flying a certain distance. In addition, the drone node 30 can wirelessly download a control command for the control node 20 from the management server 50, and transmit it to the gateway 40 after moving and flying a certain distance. By using such a function of the drone node 30, the integrated management system of the present invention can be extended to a remote house H that is several kilometers away from the gateway 40 of the present invention, or especially to a house H in an area not connected to the Internet.

[0040] The management server 50 compares and analyzes the growth images provided by the drone node 30 to evaluate the growth status of the crops cultivated in each house H, and in particular, for houses H where the crop growth status is poor, the control node 20 issues a control command via the gateway 40 so as to provide an optimal growth environment.

[0041] Specifically, the management server 50 may be configured to include a data storage unit that classifies and stores the environmental data provided from the sensor node 10 and the growth image provided from the drone node 30 by house, crop, and date, respectively, a growth state evaluation unit that compares the growth image stored in the data storage unit to evaluate the growth state of the crops cultivated in each house H, a growth environment derivation unit that compares the environmental data and growth image stored in the data storage unit to derive an optimal growth environment for each cultivated crop, and a control command transmission unit that issues a control command to the control node 20 to provide an optimal growth environment for a house H whose growth state is poor according to the evaluation result of the growth state evaluation unit, according to the result derived by the growth environment derivation unit.

[0042] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the management server 50 can evaluate the growth state of the crops cultivated in each house H using artificial intelligence (AI) and can also derive the optimal growth environment for the crops using the artificial intelligence (AI). That is, the management server 50 is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), and the artificial intelligence (AI) can compare and analyze the environmental data and growth image stored in the management server 50 to learn the correlation between the average growth state and the growth environment according to the sowing time for each cultivated crop using machine learning or deep learning techniques. Then, based on such learning results, the growth state of the crops cultivated in each house H can be evaluated and the optimal growth environment for the cultivated crop can be derived.

[0043] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the management server 50 can compare the growth images provided by the drone node 30 to select a superior house with the best crop growth condition, and issue a control command to the house H with a relatively poor growth condition to maintain the same growth environment as the superior house. However, this embodiment is preferably applied to houses H with the same type of cultivated crop, and the growth conditions of crops cultivated in multiple houses H can be improved and leveled out.

[0044] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the user can compare and analyze the growth images provided by the drone node 30 based on his / her own knowledge and experience to evaluate the growth status of the cultivated crops, and for the house H where the crop growth status is poor, the control node 20 can input a control command via the user terminal 60 so that the control node 20 provides an optimal growth environment.

[0045] As described above, the smart farm integrated management system according to the present invention has been exemplified as a case where one smart farm uses one gateway 40. However, by connecting the gateways 40 of various smart farms, which are separated from each other, to one server using an internet communication network and a cloud server, a smart farm network that is expanded regionally, nationally, and even internationally can be constructed. Furthermore, by utilizing such a smart farm network, a huge amount of data on various crops, etc. can be accumulated from multiple smart farms operated by different farmers in different regions, and it is expected that such data can become a common asset of mankind that will revolutionize the development of agricultural technology. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10: Sensor node 20: Control node 30: Drone node 40: Gateway 50: Management server 60: User terminal H Smart Farm House

Claims

1. The smart farm system includes a sensor node 10 that measures the growth environment of crops and the like cultivated in a house H of a smart farm and generates environmental data; a control node 20 that controls the growth environment; a camera that takes pictures of the growth state of the crops and generates a growth image; a drone node 30 equipped with an environmental sensor that measures the growth environment of the crops and calculates environmental data; a gateway 40 that connects the sensor node 10, the control node 20, and the drone node 30 via an Internet communication network; a management server 50 that transmits, classifies, and stores environmental data and growth images of each house H through the gateway 40 and issues control commands to the control node 20; and a user terminal 60 that can view the environmental data and growth images from the management server 50 and input the control commands. The sensor node 10 and the control node 20 are arranged in various houses H adjacent to each other, and form a multi-hop network in which the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 serve as routers for each other with one gateway 40 as a destination node. The drone node 30 flies within or between houses H, connecting the sensor node 10 and the control node 20 to each other or connecting them to the gateway 40, and plays the role of a mobile relay node that wirelessly downloads environmental data generated by the sensor node 10 or stores a growth image generated by itself and transmits the data to the gateway 40 by moving and flying a certain distance, and wirelessly downloads control commands from the management server 50 and transmits the data to the gateway 40 by moving and flying a certain distance, The management server 50 compares and analyzes the growth images provided by the drone nodes 30 to evaluate the growth status of the crops cultivated in each house H, and the control node 20 issues control commands via the gateway 40 to provide the optimal growth environment for the cultivated crops. This is an integrated management system for a smart farm using a multi-hop network.

2. 2. The integrated management system for smart farms using a multi-hop network according to claim 1, wherein the sensor node 10 is configured to include a data collection unit that collects environmental data from an environmental sensor connected thereto, a packet generation unit that converts the environmental data into a digital signal and generates a packet, a destination node setting unit that sets the destination node of the packet as a gateway 40, a packet receiving unit that receives packets from other surrounding nodes, a router selection unit that determines a router to transmit the packet, and a packet transmission unit that transmits packets to the router.

3. The management server 50 is configured to include: a data storage unit that classifies and stores the environmental data provided from the sensor node 10 and the growth image provided from the drone node 30 by house, crop, and date, respectively; a growth state evaluation unit that compares the growth image stored in the data storage unit to evaluate the growth state of the crops cultivated in each house H; a growth environment derivation unit that compares the environmental data and growth image stored in the data storage unit to derive an optimal growth environment for each cultivated crop; and a control command sending unit that issues a control command to the control node 20 to provide an optimal growth environment for a house H with a poor growth state in accordance with the result derived by the growth environment derivation unit in accordance with the evaluation result of the growth state evaluation unit. The integrated management system for a smart farm using a multi-hop network as described in claim 1.

4. The integrated management system for a smart farm using a multi-hop network as described in claim 1, characterized in that the management server 50 uses artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate the growth status of crops cultivated in each house H, and derives the optimal growth environment for the crops using artificial intelligence (AI).

5. The integrated management system for a smart farm using a multi-hop network as described in claim 1, characterized in that the management server 50 compares the growth images provided by the drone nodes 30 to select a superior house with the best crop growth condition, and issues a control command to house H with relatively poor crop growth condition to maintain the same growth environment as the superior house.

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