Agriculture assistance device, agriculture assistance method, and program

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an agriculture assistance device, an agriculture assistance method, and a program that are capable of formulating an appropriate pollination work plan.　This agriculture assistance device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information about flowering; and an output unit that outputs information about a pollination work plan on the basis of the information about flowering, and information about an execution resource and / or information about a material resource.

Description

Agricultural support device, agricultural support method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural support device, an agricultural support method, and a program.

[0002] As a smart agriculture system, the use of parameters obtained by image processing for operating agricultural equipment is being considered. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system in which predetermined parameters of a predetermined location on a plant to be evaluated are estimated based on a trained model and an image of the plant to be evaluated, and an operating mechanism performs a predetermined operation, such as pollinating the location from a predetermined direction, based on the estimated predetermined parameters.

[0003] Patent No. 7090953

[0004] Pollination, which involves applying pollen to each and every flower in a field, is one of the most labor-intensive agricultural tasks. Furthermore, the time available for pollination after each flower blooms is limited, typically 48 hours. Pollination must be timed appropriately within this limited flowering period, taking into account the plant's ever-changing condition. Delays in pollination lead to reduced yields. Pollination, which occurs randomly in various locations throughout a field, becomes increasingly difficult the larger the field. Therefore, pollination requires a concentrated workforce to be allocated in advance for a specific period. However, the timing and number of workers vary from year to year, making it difficult to plan for staffing. Furthermore, because flowers bloom at any time in any location within a field, it is not easy to allocate staff within the field to perform pollination in accordance with the timing of flowering.

[0005] Furthermore, since pollen is generally expensive, there is a need to streamline the material costs involved in pollination work for each flower in order to reduce material costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an agricultural support device, an agricultural support method, and a program that are capable of formulating an appropriate pollination work plan.

[0007] An agricultural support device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires information about flowering, and an output unit that outputs information about a pollination work plan based on the information about flowering, information about execution resources, and / or information about material resources.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an agricultural support device, an agricultural support method, and a program that are capable of formulating an appropriate pollination work plan.

[0009] 1 is a conceptual diagram of a smart agriculture system. FIG. 1 is a heat map showing information about flowering for each section in a field. FIG. 2 is a Gantt chart showing information about flowering for each section in a field in chronological order. FIG. 3 is a map showing an example of work section allocation based on information about flowering. FIG. 4 is a map showing an example of work section allocation based on information about flowering. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server in this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of field data. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of resource data. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing sequence. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing flowchart. FIG. 10 is a sketch diagram showing a series of states from when a flower begins to flower, until it reaches full bloom and then falls.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as necessary. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0011] 1. System FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a smart agriculture system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in one example of the smart agriculture system 1 according to this embodiment, a measurement device 300 is used to acquire information about crops in a field 500, which is then stored by an agricultural support device (server 200). The agricultural support device (server 200) may then formulate a pollination work plan and transmit the plan to, for example, a terminal 100 used by a farm worker. Furthermore, the agricultural support device (server 200) may instruct an operation device 400 to perform various tasks, such as pollination, based on the pollination work plan, and the operation device 400 may then execute the tasks. The terminal 100, server 200, measurement device 300, and operation device 400 may be connected via a network N.

[0012] In this embodiment, the "field" refers to a cultivation area where agricultural products are grown, and is not limited to an outdoor cultivation area, but may also be a facility with a roof, such as a greenhouse or a plant factory.

[0013] The measuring device 300 is, for example, a measuring device that measures the temperature and humidity of the field, and may be a device equipped with a sensor for observing the condition of the field and the crops, or may be a device that measures the crops 520 in the field 500 and acquires image information and other information about the crops 520.

[0014] The measuring device 300 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, various fixed sensors 310 installed at any position in the field 500, a drone equipped with various sensors and flying within the field 500, an unmanned aerial vehicle 320 that propels itself within the field, a smartphone equipped with various sensors, a handheld computing device, a wearable terminal, or other terminal operated by a person (not shown). Here, the sensor is not particularly limited, and may further include at least one of an image sensor, a component sensor, and an environmental sensor.

[0015] The measuring device 300 may be linked to the working device 400. The measuring device 300 may receive a sensing instruction from the server 200 or the user terminal 100, or may acquire observation data according to a set sensing cycle. The observation data acquired by the measuring device 300 in this manner is transmitted to the server 200 or the user terminal 100 via the network N as information on the field, environment, and crops.

[0016] The image sensor is not particularly limited as long as it is a sensor capable of capturing still or video images. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the image sensor may be a sensor mounted on a drone, a fixed camera installed in the field 500, a camera on a terminal such as a wearable device, or a camera installed in a self-propelled measuring device 300.

[0017] The component sensor is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include sensors configured to be capable of performing predetermined analyses such as fluorescent analysis and spectroscopic analysis.

[0018] The environmental sensor is a sensor for measuring environmental information of the field 500. There is no particular limitation on the environmental sensor, and examples thereof include a weather sensor, a soil sensor, and a gas sensor. The soil sensor may be a sensor that acquires information about the soil, such as the amount of moisture, nutrients, acidity, and underground temperature. The weather sensor may be a sensor that acquires information about the weather, such as the temperature, humidity, amount of sunlight, sunlight intensity, hours of sunlight, amount of rainfall, and weather. The environmental sensor is not limited to a soil sensor and a weather sensor, and any sensor that can measure various types of environmental information in the field 500 may be used.

[0019] For example, by installing multiple sensors such as the fixed sensor 310 in the field or by using the unmanned aerial vehicle 320 to move autonomously within the field, it is possible to acquire image information of agricultural crops and other information from the various sensors. Based on the information acquired in this manner, the agricultural support device (server 200) may predict information about flowering, such as the flowering date and predicted flowering date, for any section within the field 500. Note that a "section" is a division of the field based on the pattern of trees, area, etc., and the position and size within the field can be identified by the section.

[0020] As a result, as shown in Fig. 2A, the agricultural support device (server 200) can record information about flowering, such as the flowering date and predicted flowering date at a given time, in association with any section within the field 500. The display representation in this case is not particularly limited, and may be a heat map in which the flowering date and predicted flowering date are represented by color or the like. In addition, in a heat map such as that in Fig. 2A, quantitative information about flowering, such as the number of flowers in bloom, may be represented as a bar graph, as exemplified by sections x and y.

[0021] From another perspective, the agricultural support device (server 200) may record information about flowering, such as the flowering date and predicted flowering date, for any plot in the field in association with time, as shown in Fig. 2B. The display representation in this case is not particularly limited, but the flowering date and predicted flowering date for each plot may be represented by a Gantt chart.

[0022] The agricultural support device (server 200) functions as a management device for comprehensively managing the entire farm field. Specifically, it issues work instructions and provides requested information to the working devices 400, measurement devices 300, and user terminal 100 via the communication I / F 220 and network N. Similarly, the agricultural support device (server 200) also acquires information about the farm field, crops, and environment from the working devices 400, measurement devices 300, and user terminal 100. In addition to being responsible for control calculations for the entire system, the agricultural support device (server 200) may also serve as, in particular, an instruction unit that executes instructions to the working devices 400, etc., a processing unit that performs various processes on the acquired information, and a prediction unit that predicts crop yields and workloads.

[0023] For example, by acquiring the above-described information about flowering, the agricultural support device (server 200) can estimate the amount of pollination work required at the present time or at a future time. Specifically, a Gantt chart such as that shown in FIG. 2B can easily identify plots that are in a flowering state at a specific time point, and can also assign priorities to pollination work according to the time since flowering. This allows the agricultural support device (server 200) to output information about a pollination work plan, taking into account information about resources for performing pollination work and / or information about material resources.

[0024] The farm field information database is a database for systematically storing various information and data such as analysis results accumulated in farm field management. For example, it stores crop data, such as data on the growth rate and yield of a target farm crop associated with past dates and positions within the farm field, and operational data, such as data on the amount of materials and labor required to perform a specific farm work. The server 200 may serve as a value data platform that manages the farm field information database.

[0025] In this embodiment, "output" not only refers to the output of information to another device, but also includes using the output result in another program within the same device, or using the output result within the same program on the same device.

[0026] Here, the "pollination work plan" may include information about the execution resources and / or material resources required to perform pollination work at a given time, and may also include information about the locations of the execution resources in the field when pollination work is performed at a given time. In this embodiment, "execution resources" refers to the number of farmworkers performing the pollination work, the number of work devices 400 performing the pollination work, or the number of pollinating insects to be used for pollination work. Furthermore, "material resources" refers to, for example, information about consumable materials required for pollination work, such as the amount of pollen, its expiration date, diluents for making liquid pollen, and extenders for making powdered pollen, as well as information about tools and materials, such as spraying equipment for spraying pollen. Here, material resources may be divided into execution resources, such as the amount of pollen used by farmworkers and the amount of pollen used by the work devices 400.

[0027] Based on the pollination work plan output as described above, the agricultural support device (server 200) may send instruction information on the location where the pollination work will be performed to the terminal 100 or work device 400 held by the agricultural worker who will be performing the pollination work.

[0028] The working device 400 may be placed in a field 500, move autonomously within the field, and perform predetermined agricultural work in response to operation by a worker. As shown in FIG. 1 , the working device 400 may be equipped with a sensor unit 420 for observing the growth status of crops, and a working unit 430 for performing work on the crops and the field. The sensor unit 420 may be, for example, a crop observation device for observing target crops as described below, or a GPS sensor for identifying the position of the working device 400. The working unit 430 may be, for example, a spraying device for spraying pollen, or a harvesting device for picking fruit that has reached the harvest stage.

[0029] Furthermore, while Figure 1 shows a type of work device 400 that is self-propelled on the ground in a farm field, the work device 400 is not limited to this, and may also be a flying type work device 400 in which a sensor unit 420 and a work unit 430 are mounted on a drone.

[0030] The working device 400 may include a control unit 411 for controlling its own movement and for processing in cooperation with the sensor unit 420 and the working unit 430. The working device 400 may also include a communication interface 412 (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F 412") for exchanging information and instructions with the server 200 that manages the field and the user terminal 100 carried by the user. The control unit 411 receives work instructions sent over the network N via the communication I / F 412, and also transmits information about the field and crops, such as image data obtained from the sensor unit 420, along with time and location information, over the network N.

[0031] The working device 400 for pollination work may have an imaging sensor (sensor unit 420) and a spraying mechanism (working unit 430) that sprays pollen to flowers that do not have pollen on them. Specifically, the working device 400 for pollination work may acquire image information of the crops with the imaging sensor while self-propelled within one or more plots assigned in accordance with the pollination work plan, and may use the agricultural support device to determine whether the crops have flowers that do not have pollen on them based on the acquired image information, and if it is determined that the crops have flowers that do not have pollen on them, may use the spraying mechanism to spray pollen on the flowers.

[0032] The user terminal 100 is a tablet terminal or smartphone carried by a worker who performs agricultural work in the field 500 or a manager who manages the field. The user terminal 100 issues work instructions and provides requested information to the working device 400, the measuring device 300, and the server 200 via the network N. Similarly, the user terminal 100 may also obtain information about the field, crops, and environment from the working device 400, the measuring device 300, and the server 200.

[0033] By adopting a system built with this configuration, producers can achieve more productive farm operations, specifically by improving the efficiency of resources for pollination work and material resources based on pollination work plans.

[0034] Note that the processes in the system of this embodiment, such as collecting various types of data, recording the collected data, analyzing the collected data, and providing the analysis results, may be performed by a measuring device or a server installed in the field, or a combination of these, as shown in Fig. 1. Below, each component will be described in detail assuming that the agricultural support device of this embodiment is the server 200.

[0035] 1.1. Server In the smart agriculture system 1, the server 200 may be a cloud server or an edge server. The edge server may be installed in or near the field and perform data processing and analysis. This reduces communication delays and distributes the processing load because data is processed on the edge server side without being sent to a cloud server. The server 200 may also be a terminal with the same functions as an edge server.

[0036] 3A, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the server 200 will be described. The server 200 includes, for example, a processor 210, a communication interface 220, an input / output interface 230, a memory 240, a storage 250, and one or more communication buses 260 for interconnecting these components.

[0037] The server 200 may be, for example, a desktop, a laptop, or other computer. The server 200 is a general-purpose computer and may be configured as a single computer or multiple computers distributed over a network N.

[0038] The processor 210 executes processes, functions, or methods implemented by code or instructions included in a program stored in the storage 250. The processor 210 may include, for example and without limitation, one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessing units (MPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), microprocessors, processor cores, multiprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc., and may implement the processes, functions, or methods disclosed in each embodiment by logic circuits (hardware) formed in integrated circuits (IC (Integrated Circuit) chips, LSIs (Large Scale Integration)), etc., or dedicated circuits.

[0039] The processor 210 executes processes, functions, or methods implemented by codes or instructions included in a program stored in the storage 250. As shown in Fig. 3A, the processor 210 of this embodiment may be configured to function as a transceiver unit 211, an acquisition unit 212, an output unit 213, a prediction unit 214, and a correction unit 215.

[0040] The communication interface 220 transmits and receives various data to and from other devices via the network N. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication is possible. For example, the communication interface 220 may be implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various types of communication software, or a combination of these.

[0041] The network N may be, by way of example and not limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellular network, integrated service digital networks (ISDNs), wireless LANs, long term evolution (LTE), code division multiple access (CDMA), Bluetooth, satellite communications, or the like, or any combination thereof. A network may include one or more networks.

[0042] The input / output interface 230 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the server 200, and an output device for outputting processing results processed by the server 200. For example, the input / output interface 230 includes information input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and information output devices such as a display. Note that the server 200 may receive a predetermined input or execute a predetermined output by connecting an external input / output interface 230.

[0043] The memory 240 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage 250 and provides a working area for the processor 210. The memory 240 also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor 210 is executing the programs. The memory 240 may be, for example, a high-speed random access memory such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a DDR RAM, or another random access solid-state storage device, or a combination of these.

[0044] The storage 250 stores programs, each functional unit, and various data. The storage 250 may be, for example, one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or nonvolatile memories such as other nonvolatile solid-state storage devices, or a combination thereof. Another example of the storage 250 may be one or more storage devices installed remotely from the processor 210.

[0045] 1.1.1. Transmitter / Receiver The transmitter / receiver 211 may function as a transmitter that transmits various types of information to other devices such as the user terminal 100, the measurement device 300, and the operation device 400 via the communication interface 220 and the network N, or as a receiver that receives various types of information from other devices such as the user terminal 100, the measurement device 300, and the operation device 400.

[0046] For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 211 may transmit a command to the measuring device 300 to acquire image information of the crops in the field, or may receive image information of the crops 520 from the measuring device 300. The transmitting / receiving unit 211 may also transmit a pollination work plan to the user terminal 100, or may transmit commands regarding agricultural work in the field to the working device 400 based on the pollination work plan, etc.

[0047] 1.1.2 Acquisition Unit The acquisition unit 212 acquires information related to flowering. Specifically, the acquisition unit 212 may receive, as information related to flowering, image information of agricultural crops acquired by an imaging device mounted on the measurement device 300 via the transmission / reception unit 211. The image information is not particularly limited as long as it shows flowers or buds, and may be recorded in association with the imaging location and the imaging time.

[0048] As one aspect of the process for acquiring information about flowering, the acquisition unit 212 may estimate information about flowering based on image information of the same section taken at different times. For example, image information of a section taken at a certain time is defined as first image information, and image information of the same section taken at a later time is defined as second image information. In this case, if a bud shown in the first image information is shown as a flower in the second image information, the acquisition unit 212 may estimate the flowering start date between the image capture times of the first image information and the second image information. Furthermore, if a flower is shown in the second image information, the acquisition unit 212 may estimate the flowering start date based on the way the petals of the flower open and wilt.

[0049] Furthermore, if a bud shown in the first image information is also shown as a bud in the second image information, the acquisition unit 212 may estimate the flowering period of the flower of the crop at the time the second image information is acquired based on the first image information and the second image information. For example, the acquisition unit 212 may predict the flowering period at which the bud will open based on the change in size and opening of the bud between the first image information and the second image information and the time interval between the first image information and the second image information.

[0050] The acquisition process of the acquisition unit 212 to acquire information about flowering based on image information may be performed by a model trained by machine learning using learning data that associates the first image information, the second image information, and the actual flowering period. Furthermore, at this time, the acquisition unit 212 may predict the flowering start date and flowering period by further taking into consideration the environmental information acquired by the environmental sensor of the measurement device 300.

[0051] Furthermore, "information about flowering" may include information about the degree of flowering (hereinafter also referred to as "degree of flowering") and may include information about whether a flower in bloom is suitable for pollination. For example, the degree of flowering may include information about when a flower begins to flower, when the flower reaches full bloom, when the flower falls, etc., and may also include information about whether a flower is suitable for pollination in accordance with the degree of flowering, specifically, information about the period of flowering when pollination efficiency is highest.

[0052] The acquisition unit 212 may adjust the time interval or frequency at which each piece of image information is acquired. The time interval or frequency may also vary depending on the season. For example, the acquisition unit 212 may shorten the time interval or increase the frequency after the crop begins to bud. This allows the flowering date and flowering period to be determined more accurately.

[0053] The acquisition unit 212 may record the acquired image information in the field data 251. FIG. 3B shows an example of the data structure of the field data 251. In the field data 251, the "plot ID" is an ID for uniquely identifying the plot for which the image information was acquired. The "image information" may be recorded in association with the time at which the image information was acquired. The "information related to flowering" may include the flowering date and flowering period. The "flowering amount" may include information related to the amount of flowering in the plot. The "plot harvest target" may record the number of fruits planned to be harvested for each plot. The "pollination history" may include information related to the pollination performed in the plot, and may record the positions and numbers of flowers that have been pollinated and flowers that have not been pollinated within the plot.

[0054] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 212 may estimate information related to flowering based on image information of the same section at a single point in time, rather than relying on first image information and second image information at two different points in time. Specifically, the acquisition unit 212 may acquire information such as information about the period before the flower blooms, i.e., the bud period, the period when the flower begins to bloom, the period when the flower reaches full bloom, or the period when the flower falls, based on image information at a single point in time, and may estimate the flowering period, the period when the flower reaches full bloom, etc., based on the information.

[0055] The acquisition unit 212 may further determine whether or not a blooming flower is suitable for pollination based on each image information. Fig. 5 shows a sketch illustrating a series of flower stages from when the flower begins to bloom until it reaches full bloom and then falls. As shown in Fig. 5, it takes a certain period of time for a flower to reach full bloom after it begins to bloom. While this depends on the crop, it is not necessarily suitable to perform pollination immediately after blooming; from the standpoint of fertility, it is preferable to perform pollination taking into account the degree of blooming.

[0056] The relationship between the degree of flowering and fertility can be determined appropriately for each crop, and is not particularly limited in this regard. However, for the sake of explanation, let us consider an example in which a crop is suitable for pollination when in full bloom. In this case, the acquisition unit 212 may further determine whether a flower is suitable for pollination based on the image information and the degree of flowering of the flower. In this case, the acquisition unit 212 may refer to a data table, such as that shown in FIG. 5, that associates image data indicating the degree of flowering with information regarding the suitability of pollination. Specifically, the acquisition unit 212 may identify a flower from the image information and evaluate the degree of flowering of the flower by identifying image data similar to the image of the identified flower from image data of flowers with different degrees of flowering in the data table. The acquisition unit 212 may then refer to the data table to identify information regarding the suitability of pollination corresponding to the evaluated degree of flowering of the flower, and further determine whether the flower is suitable for pollination based on the information.

[0057] As a result, for example, the acquisition unit 212 can determine that flowers that are just before or just after full bloom, such as D to E shown in Fig. 5, are suitable for pollination, and can determine that flowers that are not yet in full bloom, such as B to C shown in Fig. 5, and flowers that are in full bloom, such as F to G, are not suitable for pollination. This allows for efficient pollination of flowers that are suitable for pollination, and also prevents wasteful pollination of flowers that are not suitable for pollination, thereby reducing the waste of pollen.

[0058] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 212 may predict whether the flower is in a state suitable for pollination, i.e., its fertility, based on information related to the image information.

[0059] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , during the flowering process, the petals gradually open from a bud. Therefore, for example, the characteristics change from a green circular bud to a green and white rectangular half-bloomed state, and then to a white full-bloomed state. For an object recognized as a bud or half-bloomed flower, the acquisition unit 212 may further determine the pollination suitability based on the degree of blooming, using the shape and color area of ​​the object. More specifically, the pollination suitability may be predicted by quantifying the color area of ​​the petals, such as white, and modeling the change, or the pollination suitability may be predicted from changes in parameters indicating the shape of the flower.

[0060] Additionally, as time passes after flowering, the color of the petals changes as the flower wilts, for example, from white petals to yellow. The acquisition unit 212 may determine pollination suitability based on such colors or color changes that can be determined from the first image information. Furthermore, when making this determination, environmental data such as accumulated values ​​of accumulated temperature and accumulated illuminance may be taken into account. This tends to further improve the accuracy of predicting pollination suitability.

[0061] The acquisition unit 212 may further determine whether the flower shown in the image is a male flower or a female flower from the image information. By distinguishing between male and female flowers through such a determination, it is possible to distinguish between unpigmented male flowers and unpigmented female flowers. Therefore, unpigmented female flowers can be more accurately identified and pollination can be performed. Furthermore, by preventing pollen from adhering to male flowers, it is possible to reduce wasteful work and pollen.

[0062] Specifically, the acquisition unit 212 may determine the characteristic amount of the female flower, such as the presence or absence of a pistil, based on the image information.

[0063] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 212 may refer to the detection results recorded in the field data 251 and, for flowers after pollen has been attached, may consider the pollination process to be complete and exclude the flowers from the targets for detecting the pollination status.

[0064] 1.1.3 Output Unit The output unit 213 outputs information about the pollination work plan based on information about flowering, information about execution resources, and / or information about material resources. Note that "output" includes not only the output of information to the user terminal 100, the measurement device 300, and the operation device 400, but also the use of information about the pollination work plan in another program on the server 200, or the use of information about the pollination work plan in the same program on the server 200.

[0065] The output unit 213 may set priorities for pollination work in the pollination work plan according to the information about flowering. Specifically, the output unit 213 may set priorities for pollination work in the pollination work plan according to the degree of flowering of the flowers, for example, by giving priority to flowers that are closer to full bloom and have higher pollination efficiency.

[0066] Pollination work needs to be performed on flowers that bloom randomly in various locations in the field. Therefore, the output unit 213 may determine the plot to which the farmworker who will perform the pollination work is responsible based on the number of flowers per unit area. Specifically, in a plot where flowers are densely packed, the farmworker can shorten the time it takes to move from flower to flower, thereby relatively increasing the time spent pollinating the flowers. Furthermore, in a plot where flowers are sparsely blooming, the farmworker will spend more time moving from flower to flower, thereby relatively decreasing the time spent pollinating the flowers. In this way, when the working hours of the farmworkers are determined in advance, the plots to which the farmworkers are responsible may be assigned based on the estimated time a required for pollinating flowers and the estimated time b required for moving from flower to flower within the working hours.

[0067] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2C , the output unit 213 may identify high-flower density plots based on information about flowering and assign the pollination area of ​​each farm worker from the high-flower density plots. At this time, the output unit 213 may determine the area S211, S212 that each farm worker is responsible for based on the plot area or the number of plots (time required for travel) and the number of flowers contained in each plot (time required for pollination), and then allocate human resources. This allows farm workers to prioritize pollination of high-flower density plots, even if there are not enough workers to pollinate the entire field that day, resulting in more flowers being pollinated.

[0068] The output unit 213 may calculate scores for the flowers included in the plots based on any criteria, and assign the pollination work areas to the farmworkers based on the scores. For example, the output unit 213 may evaluate the degree of flowering of each flower included in a predetermined area based on image information, as shown in FIG. 5, and then calculate an average score for the flowers included in the predetermined area, or calculate an overall score. When evaluating the degree of flowering or the ease of pollination of each flower by assigning a score, for example, among the flowers shown in A to F in FIG. 5, high scores may be assigned to flowers corresponding to D, E, etc., which have a high probability of pollination, and low scores may be assigned to the other flowers.

[0069] 2C, the average score or total score of the flowers included in the ranges S211 and S212 may be used as the primary focus. This allows the ease of pollination of the flowers in the work ranges S211 and S212 to be evaluated. For example, even if two work ranges have the same area and the same number of flowers, the range with the better score for ease of pollination may be prioritized and assigned as the work range.

[0070] Some agricultural crops experience a decline in pollination efficiency after a certain amount of time has passed since flowering. Therefore, in order to properly perform pollination, it is desirable to identify flowers that are in an appropriate flowering state and perform pollination on those flowers. Therefore, the output unit 213 may output information regarding a pollination plan that sets pollination priorities according to the amount of time that has elapsed since flowering. This makes it possible to formulate a pollination plan that prioritizes pollination on crops with high pollination efficiency.

[0071] 2D , the output unit 213 may distinguish between flowers that had bloomed by the previous day but for which pollination work could not be completed due to weather or the number of farmworkers, and flowers that newly bloomed on the day, and output information related to the pollination work plan giving priority to flowers that newly bloomed on the day. Specifically, the output unit 213 may identify an area S221 that is a high-density section of newly bloomed flowers and an area S222 that is a high-density section of long-bloomed flowers based on the information related to flowering, and assign the area of ​​responsibility for pollination work to farmworkers starting from area S222 that is a high-density section of newly bloomed flowers.

[0072] Furthermore, because flowers bloom randomly in various locations in the field, flowers that could not be pollinated by the previous day and flowers that newly bloomed on the current day may be located in the same plot, as shown in Figure 2D. Furthermore, the output unit 213 may count both flowers that could not be pollinated by the previous day and flowers that newly bloomed on the current day based on the information about flowering, identify high-flower-density plots (areas S221 and S222) based on the total number of these flowers, and assign the areas of responsibility for pollination work to farmworkers from the high-density plots.

[0073] In particular, when it rains or the temperature is too low, the pollination rate drops, and even if pollination is performed, the pollen would be wasted, so it may be decided not to perform the pollination. In such cases, for example, pollination will be performed the next day or later, and at that time, the flowers that bloomed the previous day and the newly bloomed flowers will be mixed. In this regard, as described above, the efficiency of pollination work can be further improved by allocating the pollination work areas of agricultural workers taking into account information about the flowering period of each flower.

[0074] Furthermore, the target yield for each plot within the field can be determined from the target yield for the entire field. Fruit yield varies from plant to plant within the field, with some trees bearing 100 fruits and others only 50, and is generally not uniform within the field. The fruit yield for each tree in a given year can be estimated from the amount of germination. In other words, it can be estimated that the more germination a tree has, the more flowers it will produce and the greater the amount of fruit it will bear.

[0075] For this reason, the output unit 213 may estimate the amount of fruit set for each plot in the field based on the amount of germination and use this information for the pollination work plan. Specifically, when the amount of pollination work required to achieve the estimated amount of fruit set in a certain plot has been met, as shown in Figure 2D, even if new flowers bloom in that plot, the area S223 may be excluded from the pollination work target, and information about the pollination work plan may be output.

[0076] Furthermore, depending on the crop, there are times of the day when pollination efficiency is high. For example, pollination efficiency may decrease during the low temperature hours from evening to morning, or pollination efficiency may decrease due to low temperatures depending on the weather of the day. Therefore, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination work plan that assigns time periods during which pollination work will be performed and time periods during which pollination work will not be performed, depending on the temperature. This makes it possible to formulate a pollination work plan that prioritizes pollination work during time periods and temperatures when pollination efficiency is high. Note that information such as weather forecasts can be used to determine future temperatures.

[0077] Furthermore, if the low temperature hours from evening to morning occur outside of normal working hours, labor costs for agricultural workers will be high. Therefore, the output unit 213 can take into account the time period, for example, by assigning pollination work to the working device 400 during time periods when the cost of agricultural worker pollination work is high, thereby creating a pollination work plan that reduces costs. Similarly, the output unit 213 can take into account holidays, for example, by assigning pollination work to the working device 400 during holidays when the cost of agricultural worker pollination work is high, thereby creating a pollination work plan that reduces costs.

[0078] Furthermore, the pollen used in pollination operations includes powder pollen, which is used in a powder state, and liquid pollen, which is pollen dispersed in a liquid. Powder pollen may also be used by mixing it with a powdered bulking agent. For example, liquid pollen has the advantage of being usable in high humidity or rainy weather, while powder pollen has the advantage of not losing pollination efficiency even in low temperatures. Therefore, if powder pollen or liquid pollen can be selected as a material resource, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination operation plan that assigns time periods for pollination operations using powder pollen and time periods for pollination operations using liquid pollen depending on the weather conditions at the time of pollination operations. This makes it possible to formulate a pollination operation plan that uses either powder pollen or liquid pollen in a state with the highest pollination efficiency depending on the weather conditions.

[0079] Here, weather conditions include information on weather such as sunny, rainy, cloudy, etc., temperature changes such as the maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and average temperature of the day, humidity, etc.

[0080] Furthermore, in agricultural work, fruit thinning, which involves picking off excess fruit, is sometimes performed. This allows for the adjustment of nutrient distribution, thereby regulating the overall maturity of the crop, improving quality, and adjusting yield. It also reduces stress on the plant, such as branch breakage caused by excess fruit on a single branch, and helps maintain the health of the plant. While fruit thinning has these advantages, it is possible to adjust pollination operations to prevent excess fruit from forming instead of picking off excess fruit.

[0081] From this perspective, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination plan that specifies the percentage of flowers to be pollinated within a predetermined range, depending on the flowering density of flowers within the predetermined range. In this case, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination plan that specifies the percentage of flowers to be pollinated, taking into account the target yield and pollination efficiency. For example, if the target yield in a certain plot is 80 flowers and the pollination efficiency is 80%, the output may include information about a pollination plan that pollinates approximately 100 flowers in the plot and does not pollinate flowers with more than 100 flowers. This not only eliminates fruit thinning, but also allows for efficient use of pollen resources.

[0082] Furthermore, if many fruits are borne at the tips of the branches, the branches are burdened. Therefore, the number of fruits that bear fruit may be controlled depending on the position of the branch. From this perspective, the output unit 213 may output information regarding a pollination plan that specifies the percentage of flowers that will be pollinated depending on the position of the flowers on the branches of the crop. For example, the percentage of flowers that will be pollinated may be decreased as the flowers are located closer to the tips of the branches, and increased as the flowers are located closer to the trunk of the branches. Specifically, three to four out of ten flowers at the tips may be pollinated, and ten out of ten flowers near the trunk may be pollinated.

[0083] Furthermore, even within a single field, the timing of flowering and other factors differ from section to section, but if a user has multiple fields, the timing of flowering and other factors will also differ between those multiple fields. For users who manage multiple fields, a pollination work plan that takes multiple fields into consideration, rather than a pollination work plan for each individual field, allows human and material resources to be shared among multiple fields, thereby further improving the efficiency of field management.

[0084] Therefore, the output unit 213 may output information about the pollination work plan taking multiple fields into consideration. In this case, the acquisition unit 212 acquires information about flowering from multiple fields, and the output unit 213 outputs information about the pollination work plan for the multiple fields.

[0085] The output unit 213 may also output information about the pollination work plan based on the cost of moving execution resources between multiple fields. Specifically, the output unit 213 may estimate a lower travel cost the closer the multiple fields are to each other, and a higher travel cost the farther the fields are from each other. The travel cost may also be the time spent traveling from one field to another during which pollination work cannot be performed.

[0086] Similarly, the output unit 213 may output information about the pollination work plan based further on the material resources held by the multiple fields. Specifically, the output unit 213 may formulate a pollination work plan in which some or all of the material resources held by the multiple fields are shared resources, for example, so that pollination work in one field uses material resources held by another field.

[0087] Furthermore, when farmworkers and work devices can be selected as execution resources, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination plan that assigns areas for the farmworker to perform pollination work and areas for the work device to perform pollination work based on the distance from the trunk of the crop. Specifically, assume that the farmworker performs pollination work on two tree rows while passing between the two tree rows. In this case, the output unit 213 may designate an area close to the trunk of the crop as the area for the farmworker to perform pollination work, and an area far from the trunk of the crop (the central area between the two tree rows) as the area for the work device to perform pollination work. For example, the central area between the two tree rows is located at a relatively high level of branches, making it less likely for the work device to get caught on the branches and less likely to have tree roots, making it an area where the work device can easily travel while performing pollination work. However, the closer the area to the trunk of the crop, the lower the branches, and the flowers may be blooming deep within those low-lying branches, making it easier for the farmworker to perform pollination work. The working areas of the farm worker and the working device may be reversed.

[0088] Furthermore, if any of farm workers, work devices, and pollinating insects can be selected as the execution resource, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination work plan that prioritizes the use of farm workers and work devices. Specifically, the output unit 213 may first allocate farm workers and work devices as work resources in the pollination work plan, and when there are no more farm workers or work devices available to allocate, may allocate pollinating insects in sections where there are insufficient farm workers and work devices.

[0089] Furthermore, if any of farm workers, work equipment, and pollinating insects can be selected as the execution resource, the output unit 213 may output information about the pollination work plan to which the execution resource is allocated based on the budget for executing the pollination work plan. Specifically, farm workers, work equipment, and pollinating insects have different costs for their work and the amount of materials consumed. Therefore, based on the budget for executing the pollination work plan, any of farm workers, work equipment, and pollinating insects may be selected, and a pollination work plan that fits the budget may be output.

[0090] 3C shows an example of the data structure of the resource data 252. The resource data 252 may record the operating time, work speed, and work cost for each farm worker, work device, and pollinator insect (bee). Additionally, the amount of available resources and the amount of pollen used as information on consumed materials may also be recorded.

[0091] 3C , farm workers, working devices, and pollinator insects each have different characteristics. For example, farm workers have high labor costs (labor costs) per plot and use relatively large amounts of pollen, but are able to easily collect available resources. On the other hand, working devices tend to operate longer than humans, use relatively less pollen, and have low operating costs (device usage fees), but are able to command fewer resources and tend to work slower.

[0092] Note that because the working hours and working speed of pollinating insects (bees) cannot be fully controlled by the user, in FIG. 3C , the working hours, working speed, or working range (range of movement of bees) of pollinating insects (bees) are not specifically specified as values ​​in comparison with agricultural workers or working devices. The expected amount of work for pollinating insects (bees) can vary depending on the installation location of the hive, the size of the hive, the ratio of male to female trees, and other factors. Note that while the working costs (maintenance costs of beehives, etc.) of pollinating insects (bees) can be relatively low, controlling the pollination rate is difficult, so they may be selected as a means to reduce the cost of pollination work or as a means when other execution resources are insufficient.

[0093] Furthermore, the time period suitable for pollination varies depending on the weather, temperature, etc. Therefore, the output unit 213 may output information regarding a pollination plan that allocates time periods during which pollination is performed and time periods during which pollination is not performed according to weather conditions. The output unit 213 may also output information regarding a pollination plan that adjusts the method of pollination according to the weather, temperature, etc. Specifically, a pollination plan may be output that uses liquid pollen during time periods with high humidity or rainy weather and powder pollen during time periods with low temperatures. Alternatively, a pollination plan may be output that uses liquid pollen during time periods with high temperatures and powder pollen during time periods with low temperatures.

[0094] Furthermore, the output unit 213 may output information about a pollination plan that allocates areas where pollination will be performed and areas where pollination will not be performed according to the distance from the male tree. Specifically, areas where pollination will not be performed may be allocated to locations close to the male tree, and areas where pollination will be performed may be allocated to locations far from the male tree. The system may also store the positions of male trees in advance. This makes it possible to avoid accidentally pollinating male trees and to perform pollination efficiently.

[0095] 1.1.4. Prediction Unit The prediction unit 214 may predict the costs of execution resources and / or material resources when a pollination work plan is executed. This allows farm workers to carry out pollination work after understanding the overall costs in advance. The prediction unit 214 may also predict the yield based on the pollination work plan, or the amount of pollen used in the pollination work plan.

[0096] This allows for a simulation that correlates resource amounts (costs) with harvest amounts (profits) for the current state of the field, such as the expected harvest amount based on the execution resources and material resources entered by the user. Therefore, instead of the process of exploring a pollination work plan based on the available execution resources and material resources, the user can also execute a process of exploring a pollination work plan that involves the costs of acquiring additional execution resources and material resources based on the expected predetermined harvest amount (profit).

[0097] 1.1.5 Modification Unit When the execution resource can be selected from among workers, work devices, and pollinators, the modification unit 215 may modify the pollination work plan in accordance with changes in the amounts of workers, work devices, and pollinators used. In this case, the prediction unit 214 may predict the amount of pollen used in the modified pollination work plan.

[0098] The correction unit 215 may also correct the pollination work plan in response to a change in the amount of pollen used. For example, when the amount of pollen used is changed, the correction unit 215 may make corrections to the pollination work plan, such as increasing the amount of work devices 400 and pollinating insects used, in order to perform pollination work throughout the entire field using the changed amount of pollen. In this case, the corrected pollination work plan may include the amount of farmworkers, work devices, and pollinating insects used. For example, when the amount of pollen used is reduced, the correction unit 215 may output a corrected pollination work plan that increases the usage rate of work resources (bees) that use less pollen.

[0099] As described above, the prediction unit 214 can modify the pollination work plan according to the execution resources and material resources input by the user, allowing the user to simulate what kind of pollination work plan can be created based on the execution resources and material resources that the user needs to prepare. This allows the pollination work to be carried out based on a more appropriate and reasonable pollination work plan.

[0100] 1.2 Operational Processing Next, the operation of the smart agriculture system will be described. Fig. 4A is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing performed by the smart agriculture system of this embodiment.

[0101] In step A01, the acquisition unit 212 of the server 200 may transmit an instruction to acquire image information to the measuring device 300 via the transmission / reception unit 211. Then, in step A02, the transmission / reception unit 211 of the server 200 may receive image information from multiple measuring devices 300 in the field.

[0102] In step A03, the acquisition unit 212 of the server 200 may record the acquired image information in the farm field data 251. At this time, the acquisition unit 212 of the server 200 may further record, as information regarding flowering, the flowering date and time and the flowering period obtained based on the image information.

[0103] In addition, in step A04, the output unit 213 of the server 200 may generate a pollination work plan, and in step A05, the output unit 213 of the server 200 may transmit the pollination work plan to the user terminal 100 via the transceiver unit 211.

[0104] FIG. 4B is a flowchart showing the process of excluding a specific plot from the target of the pollination work plan in the process performed by the smart agriculture system of this embodiment.

[0105] In step S11, the acquisition unit 212 of the server 200 receives image information from multiple measuring devices 300 in the field via the transmission / reception unit 211 of the server 200, and tally the amount of germination in the field based on the image information. The acquisition unit 212 may tally the amount of germination for each plot. The number of fruits that bears may vary depending on the year and individual differences between trees. Therefore, the amount of germination for each plot can be used as reference information for the harvest target for the trees included in that plot for that year.

[0106] In step S12, the output unit 213 of the server 200 determines a plot harvest target for each plot based on information about the harvest target and germination amount for the entire field for that year. Here, the plot harvest target may be the number of fruits planned to be harvested for each plot. For example, if 10,000 fruits are to be harvested overall, the number of fruits to be harvested for each plot can be determined based on the germination amount, and the plot harvest target can be set to 100 fruits for plot 1, 200 fruits for plot 2, and so on. Such plot harvest targets may be recorded as map data associated with the plot number.

[0107] In step S13, the farm worker performs pollination work, and the acquisition unit 212 of the server 200 may acquire the number of pollinated flowers for each plot from the terminal 100 or the like and record it in the field data 251. Then, in step S14, the output unit 213 of the server 200 refers to the field data 251 to determine whether the number of pollinated flowers has exceeded the plot harvest target, and repeats the pollination work until the number of pollinated flowers exceeds a predetermined value.

[0108] In this case, since not all of the pollinated flowers will become fruit, it is also possible to multiply the number of pollinated flowers by a predetermined percentage and determine whether the value obtained by multiplying the percentage exceeds the plot harvest target. For example, the percentage can be the pollination rate.

[0109] In step S15, if the number of pollinated flowers exceeds the section harvest target, the pollination work in that section may be terminated, and the section may not be included in the pollination work plan when information about the pollination work plan is output. In addition, newly blooming flowers in a section where the number of pollinated flowers exceeds the section harvest target may be targeted for flower thinning to prevent them from becoming a cause of disease, etc. Alternatively, the output unit 213 of the server 200 may output the flower thinning work plan.

[0110] 2. Agricultural Support Method In the agricultural support method of this embodiment, an agricultural support device executes the steps of acquiring information about flowering and outputting information about a pollination work plan based on the information about flowering, information about execution resources, and / or information about material resources.

[0111] Note that the specific aspects of the method of this embodiment have been described above in the operational processing, so detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0112] 3. Program The program of this embodiment causes the agricultural support device to execute the steps of acquiring information about flowering and outputting information about a pollination work plan based on the information about flowering, information about execution resources, and / or information about material resources.

[0113] The program may be recorded on a readable recording medium. Note that the specific aspects of the processing executed by the program of this embodiment have been described above in the operational processing, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0114] The present invention has industrial applicability as a component technology that can be used in smart agriculture systems.

[0115] 1...Smart agriculture system, 100...User terminal, 200...Server, 210...Processor, 211...Transmitter / receiver unit, 212...Acquisition unit, 213...Output unit, 214...Prediction unit, 215...Correction unit, 220...Communication interface, 230...Input / output interface, 240...Memory, 250...Storage, 251...Field data, 252...Resource data, 260...Communication bus, 300...Measuring device, 310...Fixed sensor, 320...Unmanned aerial vehicle, 400...Working device, 411...Control unit, 412...Communication interface, 420...Sensor unit, 430...Working unit, 500...Field, 520...Crops

Claims

1. An agricultural support device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding flowering; and an output unit that outputs information regarding a pollination work plan based on the information regarding flowering, information regarding execution resources and / or information regarding material resources.

2. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit sets priorities of pollination work in the pollination work plan according to the information on flowering.

3. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan in which the priority of pollination work is set according to the time elapsed since flowering.

4. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan that assigns time periods during which pollination work is performed and time periods during which pollination work is not performed according to air temperature.

5. The agricultural support device of claim 1, wherein, when powder pollen and liquid pollen can be selected as the material resource, the output unit outputs information regarding the pollination work plan that assigns time periods for pollination work using the powder pollen and time periods for pollination work using the liquid pollen depending on the weather conditions at the time of pollination work.

6. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan that specifies the percentage of flowers to be pollinated in a specified range according to the flowering density of flowers in the specified range.

7. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan that specifies a percentage of flowers to be pollinated according to the position of the flowers on the branches of the crop.

8. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information regarding flowering from a plurality of farm fields, and the output unit includes an output unit that outputs information regarding the pollination work plan in the plurality of farm fields.

9. The agricultural support device according to claim 7, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan further based on the movement cost of the execution resources between the plurality of fields and the material resources held by the plurality of fields.

10. The agricultural support device of claim 1, wherein, when a farm worker and a work device can be selected as the execution resources, the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan that assigns an area in which the farm worker will perform pollination work and an area in which the work device will perform pollination work according to the distance from the trunk of the crop.

11. The agricultural support device of claim 1, wherein, when the execution resource can be selected from among farm workers, working equipment, and pollinating insects, the output unit outputs information regarding the pollination work plan that gives priority to the use of the farm workers and the working equipment.

12. The agricultural support device of claim 1, wherein when the execution resource can be selected from among farm workers, working equipment, and pollinating insects, the output unit outputs information regarding the pollination work plan to which the execution resource has been allocated based on a budget for executing the pollination work plan.

13. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination work plan that allocates time periods during which pollination work is performed and time periods during which pollination work is not performed according to weather conditions.

14. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about the pollination plan that assigns areas where pollination is performed and areas where pollination is not performed according to the distance from a male tree.

15. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, further comprising a prediction unit that predicts costs of the execution resources and / or the material resources in the pollination work plan.

16. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, further comprising a prediction unit that predicts a harvest yield based on the pollination work plan.

17. The agricultural support device of claim 1, further comprising: a modification unit that modifies the pollination work plan in response to changes in the amount of use of the farm workers, the work equipment, and the pollen-carrying insects when the execution resource can be selected from among farm workers, work equipment, and pollen-carrying insects; and a prediction unit that predicts the amount of pollen used in the modified pollination work plan, when the execution resource can be selected from among farm workers, work equipment, and pollen-carrying insects.

18. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, further comprising a correction unit that corrects the pollination work plan in response to a change in the amount of pollen to be used, the corrected pollination work plan including the amount of farm workers, working equipment, and pollinating insects used.

19. An agricultural support method, comprising: an agricultural support device performing a step of acquiring information regarding flowering; and a step of outputting information regarding a pollination work plan based on the information regarding flowering, information regarding execution resources and / or information regarding material resources.

20. A program that causes an agricultural support device to execute a step of acquiring information regarding flowering, and a step of outputting information regarding a pollination work plan based on the information regarding flowering, information regarding execution resources and / or information regarding material resources.

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