Growth condition estimation device, plant management system, growth condition estimation method, plant management method, and program

Abstract

SOLUTION: The growth state estimation device may include an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point. The growth state estimation device may include an identification unit that identifies the same specific part of the plant from each of the first image and the second image. The growth state estimation device may include an estimation unit that estimates the growth state of the plant by comparing the state of the same specific part included in each of the first image and the second image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a growth state estimation device, a plant management system, a growth state estimation method, a plant management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a method in which a laser scanner 4 scans pulsed ranging light consisting of two wavelengths with different reflectivities depending on the nitrogen content, receives the two wavelengths separately, detects the distance measurement value and light intensity for each pulsed ranging light and for each of the two wavelengths, detects the height of the crop based on the distance measurement value, detects the ratio of the received light intensity of the two wavelengths, and detects the growth status of the crop based on the detected height and ratio of the received light intensity. [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-54395 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] It is desirable to reduce the burden of processing for estimating the growth state of plants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] A growth state estimation device according to one aspect of the present invention may include an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point. The growth state estimation device may include an identification unit that identifies the same specific part of the plant from each of the first image and the second image. The growth state estimation device may include an estimation unit that estimates the growth state of the plant by comparing the state of the same specific part included in each of the first image and the second image.

[0005] The growth state estimation device may further include a prediction unit that predicts a change in the growth state of the same specific part over time from the first time point to the second time point based on change information indicating a change in the growth state of the specific part over time. The identification unit may identify the same specific part from each of the first image and the second image based on a prediction result of the prediction unit.

[0006] In any of the growth state estimation devices, the estimation unit may estimate, as the growth state of the plant, a state of physiological disorder of the plant or a state of disorder caused by a pest or disease of the plant.

[0007] In any of the growth condition estimation devices, the estimation unit may identify the change in size of the same specific part and the change in size of the damaged part of the same specific part by comparing the condition of the same specific part contained in each of the first image and the second image, and may estimate the degree of progression of the damage to the same specific part as the growth condition of the plant based on the comparison between the change in size of the same specific part and the change in size of the damaged part of the same specific part.

[0008] In any of the growth condition estimation devices, the estimation unit may estimate the progression of damage to the same specific part as the growth condition of the plant based on the ratio between the rate of increase in size of the same specific part from the first time point to the second time point and the rate of increase in size of the damaged part of the same specific part.

[0009] A plant management system according to one aspect of the present invention may include the growth state estimation device and an environmental control unit that controls environmental control equipment that controls the environment within the plant factory where the plants are cultivated in accordance with predetermined conditions corresponding to the estimation result of the growth state of the plants by the estimation unit.

[0010] In the plant management system, the predetermined conditions may indicate a relationship between the growth state of the specific portion and at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, ambient temperature and humidity of the specific portion, the amount of light irradiated to the specific portion, and the carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium. The environmental control unit may adjust at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, ambient temperature and humidity of the specific portion, the amount of light irradiated to the specific portion, and the carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium by controlling the environmental control equipment in accordance with the predetermined conditions.

[0011] A growth state estimation method according to one aspect of the present invention may include a step of acquiring a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point. The growth state estimation method may include a step of identifying an identical specific part of the plant from each of the first image and the second image. The growth state estimation method may include a step of estimating the growth state of the plant by comparing the state of the identical specific part included in each of the first image and the second image.

[0012] A plant management method according to one aspect of the present invention may include acquiring a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point. The plant management method may include identifying an identical specific part of the plant from each of the first image and the second image. The plant management method may include estimating a growth state of the plant by comparing the state of the identical specific part included in each of the first image and the second image. The plant management method may include controlling environmental control equipment that controls an environment in a plant factory where the plant is grown, according to predetermined conditions corresponding to the estimated growth state of the plant.

[0013] A program according to one aspect of the present invention may cause a computer to acquire a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point. The program may cause the computer to identify the same specific part of the plant from each of the first image and the second image. The program may cause the computer to estimate a growth state of the plant by comparing the state of the same specific part included in each of the first image and the second image.

[0014] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the overall configuration of a plant management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the plant management device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of change information indicating changes in the growth state of a leaf over time. [Figure 4A] 10 is an example of an image of a leaf including a damaged portion captured at time T1. [Figure 4B] 10 is an example of an image of a leaf including a damaged portion captured at time T2. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for estimating a growth state of a plant and controlling an environment in accordance with the growth state. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0017] 1 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the overall configuration of a plant management system according to this embodiment. The plant management system manages the growth state of plants 30 cultivated in a plant factory 10. The plant management system includes cultivation shelves 20, a light source facility 40, a nutrient solution supply facility 50, a carbon dioxide supply facility 60, an air conditioning facility 70, a ventilation facility 80, an imaging device 90, and a plant management device 100. The light source facility 40, the nutrient solution supply facility 50, the carbon dioxide supply facility 60, the air conditioning facility 70, and the ventilation facility 80 are examples of environmental control facilities.

[0018] The cultivation shelves 20 cultivate plants 30 such as vegetables, fruits, or fresh flowers. The light source equipment 40 includes a plurality of light sources 42 that emit artificial light such as LEDs or incandescent lamps, and each of the plurality of light sources 42 irradiates the plants 30 with artificial light. The plurality of light sources 42 may be arranged facing the cultivation surface of the cultivation shelves 20. The plant factory 10 in this embodiment is an artificial light type plant factory. However, the plant factory 10 may also be a sunlight type plant factory that cultivates the plants 30 using sunlight as a light source.

[0019] The nutrient solution supplying equipment 50 has a pump 52 and a pipe 54, and supplies a nutrient solution containing fertilizer components such as potassium or calcium to the cultivation shelf 20 via the pump 52 and the pipe 54. The nutrient solution supplying equipment 50 adjusts the fertilizer concentration as appropriate and supplies the nutrient solution with the adjusted fertilizer concentration to the plants 30. The nutrient solution supplying equipment 50 may supply the nutrient solution to the plants 30 by atomizing the nutrient solution with the adjusted fertilizer concentration and spraying it onto the roots of the plants 30. The nutrient solution supplying equipment 50 may also function as an irrigation equipment that supplies moisture to the medium in which the plants 30 are grown. The amount of irrigation water supplied to the cultivation shelf 20 may be adjusted by adjusting the amount of nutrient solution supplied from the nutrient solution supplying equipment 50 to the cultivation shelf 20.

[0020] The carbon dioxide supplying equipment 60 has a tank 62 and a nozzle 64. The tank 62 stores carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide supplying equipment 60 supplies the carbon dioxide stored in the tank 62 into the plant factory 10 through the nozzle 64.

[0021] The air conditioning equipment 70 adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air inside the plant factory 10 and circulates the temperature- and humidity-adjusted air inside the indoor space. The air blowing equipment 80 includes a circulator or an electric fan that supplies air into the plant factory 10.

[0022] The imaging device 90 captures images of the leaves 32 of the plants 30. The imaging device 90 periodically captures images of the leaves 32 of the plants 30 at predetermined intervals. The imaging device 90 may be provided near each plant 30 cultivated on the cultivation shelves 20. Alternatively, the imaging device 90 may be provided on a mobile robot that moves within the plant factory 10. The imaging device 90 periodically captures images of the leaves 32 of the plants 30 at predetermined intervals from the same position, in the same direction, and with the same angle of view. Even when the imaging device 90 is provided on a mobile robot, the mobile robot controls the attitude of the imaging device 90 so that the leaves 32 of the plants 30 are periodically captured at predetermined intervals from the same position, in the same direction, and with the same angle of view. The mobile robot may be a moving object such as a vehicle, an aircraft, or a ship. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the imaging device 90 captures an image of the leaves 32 of the plant 30, but the part that the imaging device 90 captures may also be other specific parts of the plant 30 other than the leaves 32, such as the stem, fruit, or flower.

[0023] The plant management device 100 controls the growth state of the plant 30 by controlling the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80. The plant management device 100 communicates with the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, the ventilation equipment 80, and the imaging device 90 via a wireless network or a wired network. The plant management device 100 is an example of a growth state estimation device.

[0024] The plant management device 100 may be a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and memory. The light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80 may each be equipped with a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and memory.

[0025] The computer may be a personal computer, tablet computer, smartphone, workstation, server computer, general-purpose computer, or a computer system in which multiple computers are connected. Such a computer system is also a computer in a broad sense. The computer may be a dedicated computer designed for environmental control in a plant factory, or dedicated hardware realized by dedicated circuits. The computer may be implemented in a virtual computer environment. When a computer is used, the plant management device 100, the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80 are realized by executing a program on the computer.

[0026] 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the plant management device 100. The plant management device 100 includes an acquisition unit 102, an identification unit 104, a prediction unit 106, an estimation unit 108, an environment control unit 110, and a storage unit 120.

[0027] The acquisition unit 102 periodically acquires images captured by the imaging device 90 at predetermined intervals. The acquisition unit 102 acquires an image G1 including the plant 30 captured by the imaging device 90 at time T1, and an image G2 including the plant 30 captured by the imaging device 90 at time T2 after time T1. The period from time T1 to time T2 may be any period depending on the growth rate of the plant 30, such as one hour, one day, one week, or ten days.

[0028] The identification unit 104 identifies the same specific part of the plant 30 from each of the images G1 and G2. The specific part of the plant 30 may be a leaf, stem, fruit, or flower. In this embodiment, a detailed description will be given using the leaf of the plant 30 as an example of the specific part. That is, the identification unit 104 identifies the same leaf 32 from each of the images G1 and G2. The prediction unit 106 predicts changes in the growth state of the same leaf 32 included in the images G1 and G2 over time from time T1 to time T2, based on change information indicating changes in the growth state of the leaf over time. The change information may be, for example, information indicating the area of ​​the leaf over a growth period, as shown in FIG. 3 . The change information may be derived in advance by measuring the area of ​​the leaf for each growth period through experiments or the like, and stored in the storage unit 120.

[0029] The prediction unit 106 identifies the growth period T1 of the plant 30 at time G1 from the area S1 of the leaf 32 at time G1 based on the change information. Furthermore, the prediction unit 106 predicts the area S2 of the leaf 32 when time G1 has elapsed to time G2 based on the change information. The prediction unit 106 provides the prediction result to the identification unit 104. The identification unit 104 identifies the same leaf 32 from each of the images G1 and G2 based on the prediction result. For example, the identification unit 104 enlarges a leaf with area S1 in image G1 to generate an image of a leaf with area S2, and identifies the same leaf 32 from image G2 by pattern matching the image with at least one leaf image in a predetermined region of image G2. The predetermined region is a region in image G2 corresponding to a region of a predetermined size that includes the leaf 32 in image G1. Alternatively, the identification unit 104 derives the area of ​​at least one leaf contained within a predetermined region in image G2 that includes the position where the leaf with area S1 in image G1 was located, and identifies the leaf with area S2 from among the at least one leaf, thereby identifying the same leaf 32.

[0030] The estimation unit 108 estimates the growth state of the plant 30 by comparing the states of the same leaf 32 included in the image G1 and the image G2. The estimation unit 108 estimates whether the plant 30 is healthy or not as the growth state of the plant 30. The estimation unit 108 estimates the state of physiological disorder of the plant 30 or disorder caused by pests or diseases as the growth state of the plant 30.

[0031] The estimation unit 108 may compare the states of the same leaf 32 contained in each of images G1 and G2 to identify the change in size of the same leaf 32 and the change in size of the damaged portion of the same leaf 32, and may estimate the degree of progression of the damage to the same leaf 32 as the growth state of the plant based on the comparison between the change in size of the same leaf 32 and the change in size of the damaged portion of the same leaf.

[0032] The estimation unit 108 may estimate the progression of the damage to the same leaf 32 as the growth state of the plant 30 based on the ratio between the rate of increase in the size (area) of the same leaf 32 from time G1 to time G2 and the rate of increase in the size (area) of the damaged part of the same leaf 32.

[0033] For example, the estimation unit 108 identifies the damaged portion 34 from the leaf 32 in the image G1 at time T1 as shown in FIG. 4A , and derives the area S1 of the leaf 32 and the area S3 of the damaged portion 34. Furthermore, the estimation unit 108 identifies the damaged portion 34 from the leaf 32 in the image G2 at time T2 as shown in FIG. 4B , and derives the area S2 of the leaf 32 and the area S4 of the damaged portion 34. The estimation unit 108 derives the ratio R of the growth rate S4 / S3 of the damaged portion 34 to the growth rate S2 / S1 of the leaf 32. The estimation unit 108 estimates the growth state of the plant 30 by identifying the progression of the damage corresponding to the ratio R based on relationship information indicating the relationship between the ratio of the growth rate of the damaged portion to the growth rate of the leaves and the progression of the damage.

[0034] The environmental control unit 110 controls the environmental control equipment that controls the environment in the plant factory 10 where the plants 30 are grown, according to predetermined conditions corresponding to the estimation result of the growth state of the plants 30 by the estimation unit 108. The environmental control unit 110 may control at least one of the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80, according to predetermined conditions corresponding to the estimation result of the growth state of the plants 30 by the estimation unit 108.

[0035] The predetermined conditions may indicate a relationship between the growth state of the leaves and at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, temperature and humidity around the leaves, the amount of light irradiated on the leaves, and carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium. The environmental control unit 110 may adjust at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, temperature and humidity around the leaves, the amount of light irradiated on the leaves, and carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium by controlling the environmental control device according to the predetermined conditions. The environmental control unit 110 may adjust at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, temperature and humidity around the leaves, the amount of light irradiated on the leaves, and carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium by controlling at least one of the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80 according to the predetermined conditions.

[0036] Countermeasures for suppressing each type of physiological disorder of leaves are empirically known. The estimation unit 108 may estimate the type of physiological disorder of the leaves of the plant 30 by pattern matching images of each type of physiological disorder of leaves previously stored in the storage unit 120 with images of the same leaf 32 included in images G1 and G2. The storage unit 120 may store, for each type of physiological disorder, control details for at least one of the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80. The environmental control unit 110 may identify control details corresponding to the estimated type of physiological disorder of the leaves 32 by referring to the storage unit 120, and control at least one of the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80 according to the identified control details.

[0037] For example, when tip burn due to calcium deficiency is progressing as a physiological disorder of the leaves 32, the environmental control unit 110 may control the nutrient solution supply equipment 50 to increase the calcium content in the nutrient solution. Alternatively, the environmental control unit 110 may control the light source equipment 40 to reduce the light intensity of the light source 42. The environmental control unit 110 may control the air conditioning equipment 70 to lower the temperature inside the plant factory 10. The environmental control unit 110 may control the air blower equipment 80 to increase the volume of air supplied into the plant factory 10 to efficiently lower the temperature inside the plant factory 10.

[0038] The storage unit 120 stores a program that runs on the plant management device 100. The program is executed on a processor included in the plant management device 100, causing the processor to function as the acquisition unit 102, the identification unit 104, the prediction unit 106, the estimation unit 108, and the environment control unit 110.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for estimating the growth state of the plant 30 and controlling the environment in accordance with the growth state.

[0040] The acquisition unit 102 acquires an image G1 at time T1 and an image G2 at time T2 captured by the imaging device 90 (S100). The prediction unit 106 predicts a change in the growth state of the same leaf 32 included in the images G1 and G2 that changes over time from time T1 to time T2, based on change information indicating a change in the growth state of the leaf over time (S102).

[0041] The identifying unit 104 identifies the same leaf 32 from each of the images G1 and G2 based on the prediction result (S104). The estimating unit 108 determines whether the leaf 32 has a defect by determining whether the leaf 32 in the images G1 and G2 includes an image portion corresponding to a predetermined defect (S106). If the estimating unit 108 determines that the leaf 32 has no defect, it estimates that the plant 30 is healthy (S108).

[0042] When the estimation unit 108 determines that the leaf 32 is damaged, it compares the states of the same leaf 32 contained in each of the images G1 and G2 to identify the change in size of the same leaf 32 and the change in size of the damaged part of the same leaf 32, and estimates the degree of damage to the same leaf 32 as the growth state of the plant 30 based on the comparison between the change in size of the same leaf 32 and the change in size of the damaged part of the same leaf (S110).

[0043] Next, based on the estimation result by the estimation unit 108, the environmental control unit 110 controls at least one of the environmental control equipment, namely the light source equipment 40, the nutrient solution supply equipment 50, the carbon dioxide supply equipment 60, the air conditioning equipment 70, and the ventilation equipment 80, so that the plant 30 reaches a predetermined growth state (S112).

[0044] According to the present embodiment, a specific part, such as the same leaf, of the plant 30 can be identified between images captured at different times, and the growth condition of the plant can be estimated based on changes in the specific part, such as the same leaf. This reduces the processing load for estimating the growth condition of the plant. Furthermore, by providing the imaging device 90, the growth condition of the plant, for example, the progression of physiological disorders or damage caused by pests, can be estimated, allowing for more accurate environmental control to improve the growth condition of the plant at low cost.

[0045] 6 illustrates an example of a computer 1200 that may embody aspects of the present embodiment in whole or in part. A program installed on the computer 1200 may cause the computer 1200 to perform operations associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention or to function as one or more “parts” of the apparatus. Alternatively, the program may cause the computer 1200 to execute the operations or one or more “parts.” The program may cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or steps of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0046] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212 and a RAM 1214, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes a communication interface 1222 and an input / output unit, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The computer 1200 also includes a ROM 1230. The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit.

[0047] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. A hard disk drive may store programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The ROM 1230 stores a boot program executed by the computer 1200 upon activation and / or programs dependent on the computer's hardware. The programs may be provided via a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a USB memory, or an IC card, or via a network. The programs may be installed in the RAM 1214 or the ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing operations or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0048] For example, when communication is performed between computer 1200 and an external device, CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded in RAM 1214 and instruct communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 1212, communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in RAM 1214 or a storage medium such as a USB memory, and transmits the read transmission data to a network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the storage medium.

[0049] The CPU 1212 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external storage medium such as a USB memory to be read into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write the processed data back to the external storage medium.

[0050] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the storage medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the storage medium. For example, if multiple entries, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, are stored in the storage medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry that matches a condition specified by the attribute value of the first attribute from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0051] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. Also, a storage medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0052] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device. As a result, the computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture, including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (RTM) disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0053] The computer-readable instructions may include either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The source code or object code includes conventional procedural programming languages. The conventional procedural programming languages ​​may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus locally or over a wide-area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc. The processor or programmable circuitry may execute the computer-readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0054] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0055] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10 Plant factory 20 cultivation rack 30 plants 32 leaves 34 Obstruction 40 Light source equipment 42 Light source 50 Nutrient solution supply equipment 52 Pump 54 Pipe 60 Carbon dioxide supply equipment 62 Tank 64 nozzles 70 Air conditioning equipment 80 Ventilation equipment 90 Imaging Device 100 Plant management equipment 102 Acquisition Department 104 Specific part 106 Prediction Department 108 Estimation part 110 Environmental Control Department 120 Storage section 1200 Computer 1210 host controller 1212 CPU 1214 RAM 1220 Input / Output Controller 1222 communication interface 1230 ROM

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including a plant that is captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant that is captured at a second time point that is later than the first time point; a prediction unit that predicts, as a prediction result, an area of ​​the specific part of the plant when time has passed from the first time point to the second time point, based on change information that indicates a change in a growth state of the specific part of the plant over time; an identification unit that enlarges the specific portion in the first image to a size according to the prediction result, generates an image of the specific portion at the size at the second time point, and identifies the same specific portion of the plant from each of the first image and the second image by pattern matching the generated image of the specific portion with at least one specific portion candidate in a predetermined area in the second image; an estimation unit that estimates a growth state of the plant by comparing states of the same specific part included in each of the first image and the second image; A growth state estimation device comprising:

2. The growth state estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation unit estimates a state of physiological disorder of the plant or a state of disorder caused by a pest or disease of the plant as the growth state of the plant.

3. The growth state estimation device of claim 2, wherein the estimation unit identifies the change in size of the same specific part and the change in size of the damaged part of the same specific part by comparing the state of the same specific part contained in each of the first image and the second image, and estimates the degree of progression of the damage to the same specific part as the growth state of the plant based on the comparison between the change in size of the same specific part and the change in size of the damaged part of the same specific part.

4. The growth state estimation device described in claim 3, wherein the estimation unit estimates the progression of damage to the same specific part as the growth state of the plant based on the ratio between the rate of increase in size of the same specific part from the first time point to the second time point and the rate of increase in size of the damaged part of the same specific part.

5. The growth state estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; an environmental control unit that controls an environmental control facility that controls an environment in the plant factory where the plants are grown, in accordance with predetermined conditions according to the result of the estimation of the growth state of the plants by the estimation unit; A plant management system comprising:

6. the predetermined conditions indicate a relationship between the growth state of the specific portion and at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, ambient temperature and humidity of the specific portion, the amount of light irradiated to the specific portion, and the carbon dioxide concentration; 6. The plant management system according to claim 5, wherein the environmental control unit adjusts at least one of the water content, electrical conductivity, hydrogen ion exponent, ambient temperature of a specific location, humidity, amount of light irradiated on leaves, and carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium by controlling the environmental control equipment according to the predetermined conditions.

7. acquiring a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point; predicting, as a prediction result, an area of ​​the specific part of the plant when time has passed from the first time point to the second time point, based on change information indicating a change in the growth state of the specific part of the plant over time; enlarging the specific portion in the first image to a size according to the prediction result, to generate an image of the specific portion at the size at the second time point, and identifying the same specific portion of the plant from each of the first image and the second image by pattern matching the generated image of the specific portion with at least one specific portion candidate in a predetermined area in the second image; estimating a growth state of the plant by comparing the states of the same specific part included in the first image and the second image; A growth state estimation method comprising:

8. acquiring a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point; predicting, as a prediction result, an area of ​​the specific part of the plant when time has passed from the first time point to the second time point, based on change information indicating a change in the growth state of the specific part of the plant over time; enlarging the specific portion in the first image to a size according to the prediction result, to generate an image of the specific portion at the size at the second time point, and identifying the same specific portion of the plant from each of the first image and the second image by pattern matching the generated image of the specific portion with at least one specific portion candidate in a predetermined area in the second image; a step of estimating a growth state of the plant by comparing states of the same specific part included in the first image and the second image; controlling an environmental control facility that controls an environment in the plant factory where the plants are grown, according to predetermined conditions corresponding to the estimated growth state of the plants; A plant management method comprising:

9. acquiring a first image including a plant captured at a first time point and a second image including the plant captured at a second time point after the first time point; predicting, as a prediction result, an area of ​​the specific part of the plant when time has passed from the first time point to the second time point, based on change information indicating a change in the growth state of the specific part of the plant over time; enlarging the specific portion in the first image to a size according to the prediction result, to generate an image of the specific portion at the size at the second time point, and identifying the same specific portion of the plant from each of the first image and the second image by pattern matching the generated image of the specific portion with at least one specific portion candidate in a predetermined area in the second image; estimating a growth state of the plant by comparing the states of the same specific part included in the first image and the second image; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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