Cultivation facility, support system, support device, support program, and support method

Abstract

A support device for supporting cultivation of a plant, said support device comprising: a state determination unit for determining the state of a plant being cultivated on the basis of an image of the plant; a presentation unit for presenting corresponding information necessary for a user on the basis of at least information of the state; and an environment control unit for controlling a cultivation environment of the plant on the basis of at least the information of the state.

Description

Cultivation equipment, support system, support device, support program, and support method

[0001] The present invention relates to a cultivation facility, a support system, a support device, a support program, and a support method.

[0002] There are known efforts to cultivate plants indoors.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-090609

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a plant factory that utilizes existing containers such as ship containers, but does not consider the ease of the cultivation process itself so that even users without cultivation expertise can cultivate plants.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and aims to provide a technique that makes it easy to cultivate plants indoors.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a support device for supporting plant cultivation, the support device including: a state determination unit that determines the state of the plant based on an image of the plant being cultivated; a presentation unit that presents necessary corresponding information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environmental control unit that controls the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.

[0007] Other problems and solutions disclosed in this application will be made clear in the section on preferred embodiments of the invention and the drawings.

[0008] According to the present invention, indoor plant cultivation can be easily carried out.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a business support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a container according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server device 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of environmental information stored in an environmental information storage unit 131 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of environmental information stored in an environmental information storage unit 131 according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of environmental information stored in a reference information storage unit 133 according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of environmental information stored in a correspondence information storage unit 134 according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of environmental information stored in an implementation correspondence information storage unit 135 according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of processing of the server device 1 according to the embodiment.

[0010] <Summary of the Invention> The details of embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described below. The present invention, for example, has the following configuration. [Item 1] An assistance device for assisting plant cultivation, comprising: a state determination unit that determines a state of the plant based on an image of the plant to be cultivated; a presentation unit that presents necessary response information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environment control unit that controls the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information. [Item 2] The assistance device according to Item 1, further comprising: an implementation response information acquisition unit that acquires implementation response information, which is the response information implemented by the user, wherein the image acquisition unit also acquires a user image capturing the user's behavior, and the implementation response information acquisition unit acquires the implementation response information based on the user image. [Item 3] The assistance device according to either Item 1 or 2, wherein the state determination unit determines the state of the plant by comparing growth information of the plant acquired from the image with a reference value. [Item 4] The assistance device according to Item 3, further comprising: an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information, which is information about the cultivation environment of the plant; and a prediction unit that predicts the growth of the plant using a prediction model, generated by learning the growth information and the environmental information as training data, with the environmental information as input information and the growth information as output information. [Item 5] An assistance system for assisting plant cultivation, comprising: a state determination unit that determines a state of the plant based on an image of the plant to be cultivated; a presentation unit that presents necessary response information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environmental control unit that controls the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information. [Item 6] An assistance program for assisting plant cultivation, comprising: a state determination step that determines the state of the plant based on an image of the plant to be cultivated; a presentation step that presents necessary response information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environmental control step that controls the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.[Item 7] A support method for supporting plant cultivation, wherein a processor executes the following steps: a state determination step for determining a state of the plant based on an image of the plant to be cultivated; a presentation step for presenting necessary corresponding information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environment control step for controlling the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The business support system of this embodiment includes a server device 1, a user terminal 3, an air control device 412, a solution control device 413, a light control device 414, an imaging device 415, and a sensor device 416. The server device 1 is communicatively connected to the user terminal 3 via a communication network 2. The communication network 2 is, for example, the Internet, and is constructed using a public telephone network, a mobile phone network, a wireless communication path, Ethernet (registered trademark), or the like. The user terminal 3 is communicatively connected to the air control device 412, the solution control device 413, the light control device 414, the imaging device 415, and the sensor device 416 via a wired or wireless connection via Wi-Fi, short-range communication, or the like. Note that the server device 1, the air control device 412, the solution control device 413, the light control device 414, the imaging device 415, and the sensor device 416 may also be communicatively connected via the communication network 2.

[0012] ==Cultivation Equipment 4== The support system according to this embodiment includes the cultivation equipment 4. The cultivation equipment 4 has a predetermined airtightness so that temperature control is possible using, for example, an air control device 412. As an example, the cultivation equipment 4 may be a container. Containers are internationally standardized by ISO for size and other standards, and are primarily available in two lengths: 20 feet (approximately 6.1 m) and 40 feet (approximately 12.2 m), with a width of 8 feet (approximately 2.4 m) and a height of 8 feet 6 inches (approximately 2.6 m). However, these sizes are not essential. Furthermore, the cultivation equipment 4 may include insulation in part of the exterior walls, making it less susceptible to the effects of outside temperatures.

[0013] The cultivation in this embodiment is, as an example, hydroponic cultivation. Hydroponic cultivation is a cultivation method in which plants are grown using water and fertilizer (nutrient solution) without using soil. There are various methods, such as directly immersing the roots of the plants in the nutrient solution, spraying the nutrient solution with a spray bottle, or allowing the nutrient solution to soak into a medium. In this embodiment, an example in which the roots of the plants are directly immersed in the solution will be described.

[0014] Furthermore, the plants to be cultivated in this embodiment may be, for example, leafy vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, bok choy, komatsuna, spinach, mizuna, cilantro, wasabi, etc.), fruit vegetables (tomato, strawberry, cucumber, bell pepper, eggplant, etc.), root vegetables (radish, carrot, turnip, potato, ginger, lotus root, etc.), herbs (basil, mint, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.), flowers (chrysanthemum, rose, lisianthus, sweet pea, ranunculus, etc.), etc., but are not limited to these.

[0015] In this embodiment, the cultivation facility 4 may include, for example, a preparation room 41 where preparations for cultivation are made and a cultivation room 42 where plants actually grow. The preparation room 41 and the cultivation room 42 may be separated into separate spaces, and in this case, the preparation room 41 and the cultivation room 42 may be separated by a wall with a door or the like through which they can enter and exit, or by a curtain or the like.

[0016] For mobile examples, see the section explaining the user terminal. The preparation room 41 includes, for example, a user terminal 3 operated by a user. The cultivation room 42 includes, for example, a cultivation shelf 411, an air control device 412, a solution control device 413, a light control device 414, an imaging device 415, and a sensor device 416.

[0017] The cultivation shelf 411 is, for example, a shelf on which containers 4111 for cultivating plants are placed. The cultivation shelf 411 may have multiple tiers, and containers 4111 can be placed on each tier. The containers 4111 are made of, for example, a material capable of storing water for hydroponic cultivation. A cultivation panel for planting seedlings may be floated on the surface of the water stored in the containers 4111, or a member for planting seedlings may be placed on top. The containers 4111 include a flow path 4112 connecting a container 4111A placed on an upper tier to a container 4111B placed on a lower tier, and a flow path 4112 connecting any container 4111 to a pool that is part of a circulation device 4133 included in a solution control device 413 (described later). A light source that is part of a light control device 414 (described later) may be attached to the underside of each tier.

[0018] Container FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a container 4111. The container 4111 includes a water supply section 4111a and a drainage section 4111b. In this embodiment, the container 4111 is used with a member for planting seedlings attached to the top. The member includes a positioning member with holes that allow seedlings to be spaced a predetermined distance apart, and a protective member with a predetermined flexibility. The protective member is detachable from the positioning member, allowing for work such as pruning plant leaves while changing the position and orientation of the plants. The seedling spacing (defined as the distance from the center of one hole to the center of the adjacent hole) may be, for example, between 10 cm and 20 cm. A spacing between 10 cm and 13 cm can increase the number of plants cultivated, but may result in reduced cultivation efficiency. A spacing between 13 cm and 17 cm provides a good balance between the number of plants cultivated and cultivation efficiency, while a spacing between 15 cm or within the range of 15 cm ± 1 cm provides the best balance between the number of plants cultivated and cultivation efficiency. The water supply unit 4111a is located at the lower center of the side of the container 4111 and is connected to the flow path 4112. The height h1 of the container 4111 may be, for example, 5 cm to 11 cm. A height of 7 cm to 9 cm allows sufficient growth of rhizomes such as wasabi, while conserving water and improving space efficiency. In this embodiment, the height is 8 cm. The drainage unit 4111b is composed of a tube of a predetermined height and a hole opened in the bottom of the container 4111, and the hole is connected to the flow path 4112. Note that the tubes may be prepared in different heights and configured so that the water depth can be changed by replacing them. The height h2 of the drainage unit 4111b determines the depth of water stored in the container 4111 and is lower than h1. For example, the height h2 may be 3 cm to 7 cm. For example, h2 may be changed depending on the growth phase of the plant. For example, in the case of a young seedling, the roots are short, so h2 in the early stages of cultivation may be the length calculated using the formula (h1 - 1 to 3 cm), and after the roots have fully grown, h2 may be the length calculated using the formula (h1 - 3 to 5 cm). In this embodiment, when h1 is 8 cm, h2 may be 6 cm for a young seedling, and after the roots have fully grown, h2 may be 4 cm for example.

[0019] The air control device 412, for example, controls the air environment in the cultivation room 42. The air control device 412 includes, for example, a temperature adjustment device 4121, a circulator device 4122, a composition adjustment device 4123, and a ventilation device 4124. The temperature adjustment device 4121 adjusts the air temperature in the cultivation room 42, and has the function of, for example, absorbing heat from the air using a refrigerant and releasing it outside the cultivation equipment 4. However, since this is a general air conditioning principle, details are omitted. The circulator device 4122 circulates the air in the cultivation room 42 with wind, thereby making the room temperature and air composition closer to homogenous. Note that the temperature adjustment device 4121 may also function as the circulator device 4122. The composition adjustment device 4123, for example, adjusts the air composition in the cultivation room 42. The composition adjustment device 4123 may, for example, based on information on the concentration of carbon dioxide, a component of the air in the cultivation room 42, acquired by a sensor device 416 described later, release the required amount of carbon dioxide from a gas cylinder or the like that stores carbon dioxide into the cultivation room 42 so that the carbon dioxide concentration in the air in the cultivation room 42 reaches a predetermined concentration, or may use a ventilation device 4124 to exhaust air containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide from the cultivation equipment 4. The composition adjustment device 4123 may, for example, based on information on the humidity of the cultivation room 42 acquired by a sensor device 416 described later, exhaust air from the cultivation equipment 4 by a ventilation device 4124 so that the humidity in the cultivation room 42 reaches a predetermined humidity.

[0020] The solution control device 413, for example, controls the solution used for hydroponic cultivation. The solution control device 413 includes, for example, a pool 4131, a temperature adjustment device 4132, a circulation device 4133, a composition adjustment device 4134, and a water supply and drainage device 4135. The pool 4131 is, for example, a container for collecting the solution, and one pool 4131 may be provided for each cultivation shelf 411, or one for multiple cultivation shelves 411. The temperature adjustment device 4132 adjusts the temperature of the solution. The temperature adjustment device 4132 is, for example, a chiller or heater, and is installed, for example, in the pool 4131 or in a part of the flow path 4112, and adjusts the temperature of the solution to a predetermined temperature based on solution temperature information acquired by a sensor device 416 (described later). The circulation device 4133 circulates the solution. The circulation device 4133 is, for example, a pump, and draws the solution from the pool 4131 into a container 4111 provided on the cultivation shelf 411. The composition adjustment device 4134, for example, adjusts the composition of the solution. For example, based on information on the concentrations of components such as fertilizer, which are components of the solution in the pool, acquired by a sensor device 416 described later, the composition adjustment device 4134 releases the required amount of fertilizer of the required type into the solution from a container storing multiple types of fertilizer, etc., so that the fertilizer components in the solution in the pool reach a predetermined concentration. For example, based on information on the dissolved oxygen concentration in the solution acquired by the sensor device 416 described later, the composition adjustment device 4134 releases oxygen into the solution from an aeration device or an oxygen tank, etc., so that the dissolved oxygen concentration in the pool reaches a predetermined concentration. The water supply and drainage device 4135 supplies and drains water to a predetermined amount, for example, based on information on the water volume acquired by the sensor device 416 described later.

[0021] As an example, the light control device 414 controls the light irradiated onto the plant. The light control device 414 includes, for example, a light source 4141 and a dimmer 4142. The light source 4141 is, for example, a device that emits light, and may be, but is not limited to, a fluorescent lamp, a light bulb, an LED, or the like. The dimmer 4142, for example, adjusts the light intensity of the light source 4141 and controls the turning on and off of the light source 4141.

[0022] The imaging device 415, for example, captures images including plants or user behavior. The imaging device 415 is a general camera that can capture images, videos, audio, etc., and therefore details are omitted. The imaging device 415 may be arranged so as to capture images of at least one shelf of the cultivation shelf 411 (or at least one of the cultivation shelves 411 if there are multiple cultivation shelves). The imaging device 415 may also be a 360-degree camera, and may be installed in multiple locations in the cultivation room 42 to reduce blind spots.

[0023] The sensor device 416, for example, acquires various data related to the cultivation equipment 4. The sensor device 416 includes, for example, a temperature sensor that acquires temperatures such as the room temperature of the cultivation room 42 and the water temperature of the pool 4131. The sensor device 416 also includes a humidity sensor that measures the humidity in the cultivation room 42. The sensor device 416 also includes a CO2 sensor that measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the air in the cultivation room 42. The sensor device 416 also includes a component concentration sensor that measures the amount of components such as fertilizer in the solution. The sensor device 416 also includes a dissolved oxygen amount sensor that measures the amount of dissolved oxygen in the solution. The sensor device 416 also includes a measurement sensor that measures the amount of solution. The sensor device 416 also includes a light sensor that measures the intensity of light from the light source 4141.

[0024] Each device may be equipped with a computer and controlled automatically When the air control device 412, solution control device 413, light control device 414, imaging device 415, and sensor device 416 receive a control signal from the server device 1 or the user terminal 3, they may execute control in accordance with the signal. Note that each of the air control device 412, solution control device 413, light control device 414, imaging device 415, and sensor device 416 may be equipped with a control computer and control the environment automatically according to the conditions set for each.

[0025] ==Server Device 1== The server device 1 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, one server is illustrated as an example, but this is not limited to this and multiple servers may be used.

[0026] ==User Terminal 3== The user terminal 3 is a computer operated by a user who performs cultivation work and management. For example, it is a smartphone, tablet computer, or personal computer. The user can access the server device 1, for example, via an application or web browser executed on the user terminal 3. The user terminal 3 may be provided in the preparation room 41, or may serve as part of the system as an information terminal carried by the user.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 1. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may also be used. The server device 1 includes a CPU 101, a memory 102, a storage device 103, a communication interface 104, an input device 105, and an output device 106. The storage device 103 stores various data and programs, and is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or a flash memory. The communication interface 104 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 2, and is, for example, an adapter for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), a modem for connecting to a public telephone network, a wireless communication device for wireless communication, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector, or an RS232C connector for serial communication. The input device 105 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, buttons, a microphone, or the like for inputting data. The output device 106 is, for example, a display, a printer, a speaker, or the like for outputting data. Each functional unit of the server device 1, which will be described later, is realized by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the storage device 103 into the memory 102 and executing it, and each storage unit of the server device 10 is realized as part of the storage area provided by the memory 102 and the storage device 103.

[0028] Fig. 4 shows the functional configuration of the server device 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the server device 1 includes storage units, namely, an environmental information storage unit 131, an image information storage unit 132, a reference information storage unit 133, a correspondence information storage unit 134, an implementation correspondence information storage unit 135, and a model information storage unit 136, and processing units, namely, an environmental information acquisition unit 111, an image information acquisition unit 112, a state determination unit 113, a presentation unit 114, an environment control unit 115, an implementation correspondence information acquisition unit 116, a model generation unit 117, and a prediction unit 118.

[0029] Each storage unit will be described below.

[0030] The environmental information storage unit 131 stores environmental information related to the cultivation equipment 4 acquired by the sensor device 416. As shown in an example in Fig. 5, the environmental information is linked to the date and time and includes information on the internal environment of the cultivation room 42, such as, but not limited to, air temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration in the air, water temperature of the solution, component concentrations in the solution, pH of the solution, and light intensity. The environmental information may also include information on the operating status of each device included in the cultivation equipment 4 (operating mode, set mode, power on / off status, etc.).

[0031] The image information storage unit 132 stores images including plants under cultivation. The image information storage unit 132 may use known image processing techniques on the images to identify plant parts (leaves, stems, flowers, rhizomes, axillary buds, etc.) and store individual information such as the length, width, thickness, color, and number of the parts, linked to an image ID. The image information storage unit 132 may also store images including user behavior.

[0032] The reference information storage unit 133 stores reference information. The reference information includes environmental reference information, which is a standard related to the environment and devices related to the cultivation equipment 4, and growth reference information, which is a reference value related to the traits of plants being cultivated in the environment. As shown in an example in Fig. 6, the reference information may include a reference value set for each target, and may also include a reference value set for some targets according to the period since a predetermined event, such as the period since the start of cultivation or the period since various measures were taken.

[0033] The correspondence information storage unit 134 stores a correspondence method that the presentation unit 114 (described later) presents to the user terminal 3 or the environment control unit 115 controls the cultivation equipment 4. As shown in an example in Fig. 7 , the correspondence information is stored in association with a state determined by the state determination unit 113 (described later).

[0034] The implementation response information storage unit 135 stores the implementation response information acquired by the implementation response information acquisition unit 116, which will be described later. As shown in an example in Fig. 8 , the implementation response information stores information on the type of response (in the case of device control, either the controlled device or the response by the user) and the content of the implementation, linked to the date and time.

[0035] The model information storage unit 136 stores the prediction model generated by the model generation unit 117, which will be described later.

[0036] Each processing unit will be described below.

[0037] The environmental information acquisition unit 111 acquires environmental information from the user terminal 3 or the sensor device 416 via the network 2, and stores the information in the environmental information storage unit 131. The communication for sending and receiving may be either wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication between them is possible.

[0038] The image information acquisition unit 112 acquires image information from the user terminal 3 or the imaging device 415 via the network 2 and stores it in the image information storage unit 132. The communication for sending and receiving the image information may be wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication between the devices is possible. The image information storage unit 132 may also use known image processing techniques on the acquired image to identify the part of the plant and acquire information such as the length, width, thickness, and color of the part by linking it to the image ID. The image information acquisition unit 112 may also acquire images capturing the user's behavior.

[0039] The state determination unit 113, for example, determines the state of the cultivation equipment 4. The state determination unit 113 determines the state of the cultivation equipment 4 based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 111. For example, the state determination unit 113 determines that the air temperature is abnormal when the air temperature deviates from a reference value by a predetermined amount. Furthermore, the state determination unit 113 determines that the amount of dissolved oxygen is abnormal when the amount of dissolved oxygen deviates from a reference value by a predetermined amount. Furthermore, the state determination unit 113, for example, determines the operating state of each device included in the cultivation equipment 4. The state determination unit 113 determines whether each device is operating normally based on information such as the power state, operating mode, and settings of each device.

[0040] As an example, the state determination unit 113 determines the state of a plant being cultivated. The state determination unit 113 determines, for example, the state of the leaves of the plant. In this case, the state determination unit 113 identifies leaves in the image acquired by the image information acquisition unit 112 and measures the growth state of the plant, such as the color, shape, size, and quantity of the leaves. The state determination unit 113 compares the color, shape, and size of the leaves with reference values, and determines that the growth is normal if the color, shape, and size do not deviate from the reference values ​​by a predetermined amount, and determines that the growth is abnormal if the color, shape, and size deviate from the reference values ​​by a predetermined amount. The state determination unit 113 also determines the growth state by comparing the shape, size, and quantity of the leaves with reference values ​​specified by the number of days since the start of cultivation or the number of days since work such as pruning was performed before the image was acquired.

[0041] Furthermore, the state determination unit 113 compares the environmental information or image information with a reference value, and when it determines that there is an abnormality in the environment or growth, determines whether or not a response is necessary.

[0042] For example, when the cultivated plant is wasabi, the state determination unit 113 counts the number of leaves and compares it with a reference value to determine whether pruning is necessary.

[0043] As an example, the presentation unit 114 presents at least one of the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 111 and the image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 112 on the user terminal 3 .

[0044] For example, when the state determination unit 113 determines that there is an abnormality in the environment or growth, the presentation unit 114 presents the target of the environmental information determined to be abnormal, its value, or image information to the user terminal 3. At this time, the presentation unit 114 may highlight the environmental information or image information. Furthermore, the presentation unit 114 may highlight a portion of the image information determined to be abnormal.

[0045] As an example, when the state determination unit 113 determines that there is an abnormality in the environment or growth, the presentation unit 114 presents the response information stored in the response information storage unit 134. The presentation unit 114 may present the stored response information linked to the state information in which the abnormality has been determined, to the user terminal 3. At this time, the presentation unit 114 may also present information on the reason why a response is necessary, linked to necessary response information. Furthermore, multiple pieces of response information may be linked to the state information, and the presentation unit 114 may present the pieces of response information to the user terminal 3 according to the priority set for each piece of response information.

[0046] The presentation unit 114 presents, to the user terminal 3, information on the control performed by the environment control unit 115, which will be described later.

[0047] When the state determination unit 113 determines that there is an abnormality in the environment or growth, the environment control unit 115 transmits a signal to the device provided in the cultivation room 42 to control the device based on the correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit 134. When the environment control unit 115 determines that there is an abnormality in the environment (particularly in the device), it may present to the user terminal 3 instructions on how to operate the device, how to deal with the problem, etc.

[0048] The implementation response information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, implementation response information, which is information on the response taken by the user or the response taken by controlling the devices provided in the cultivation room 42, and records it in the implementation response information storage unit 135. The implementation response information acquisition unit 116 acquires control information of the device taken by the environment control unit 115. The implementation response information acquisition unit 116 may present an input form or the like to the user terminal 3, acquire information on the user's input, selection operation, etc., and acquire information on the response taken by the user.

[0049] The implementation correspondence information acquisition unit 116 may also acquire implementation correspondence information from images captured by the image information acquisition unit 112 of the user's actions in the cultivation room 42. In this case, the implementation correspondence information acquisition unit 116 may identify at least one of the user's body parts, the type of tool used by the user or the part of the tool, and the part of the plant using existing image processing technology, and determine and acquire implementation correspondence information based on information on the movement or relationship of these parts. In this case, the implementation correspondence information acquisition unit 116 may determine, for example, that scissors are present in the user's hand, and determine that the leaves of the plant have been pruned if the blades of the scissors move and the leaves of the plant move a predetermined distance or more from their position before the blades of the scissors moved, or if the leaves disappear from the image.

[0050] In addition, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the presentation unit 114 presented the response information or the environment control unit 115 controlled the device, and the environment information acquisition unit 111 acquires environment information or the image information acquisition unit 112 acquires image information, the implemented response information acquisition unit 116 may acquire the response presented by the presentation unit 114 as implemented response information.

[0051] The state determination unit 113 may again determine the effectiveness of the implemented response based on the environmental information and image information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 111 and the image information acquisition unit 112, at a timing when a predetermined time has elapsed since the implemented response information acquisition unit 116 acquired the implemented response information. In this case, the state determination unit 113 compares the environmental information or image information resulting from the response with a reference value and determines that there is no abnormality in the environment or growth, and determines that the response was effective. Furthermore, if the state determination unit 113 compares the environmental information or image information resulting from the response with a reference value and determines that there is an abnormality in the environment or growth even after the response, it determines that the response was ineffective and presents different response information to the user terminal 3. Note that the state determination unit 113 may store information on the response determined to be effective using the above-mentioned method in the response information storage unit 134, and the presentation unit 114 may change the priority of the response to be presented.

[0052] After presenting the user with the response information that the user should take, if the implementation response information acquisition unit 116 does not acquire the implementation response information within a specified period, the presentation unit 114 may again notify the user terminal 3 of the response information that the user should take, or may present another piece of response information from among multiple pieces of response information prepared for the status information.

[0053] As an example, the model generation unit 117 generates a prediction model that predicts the growth state of a plant.

[0054] The following describes an example in which the cultivated plant is wasabi. The model generation unit 117 may learn, for example, image information of the same plant individual at multiple points in time (which may include the individual information described above, particularly information about the weight of the rhizome) and information about the date and time when the image was acquired (or the number of days or hours elapsed since an event such as planting or leaf pruning) as training data, and generate a prediction model in which the image information is used as input information and the expected shipping date (the date and time when the rhizome will reach a predetermined weight, for example, 50 g) is used as output information.

[0055] The model generation unit 117 may also generate a prediction model that learns, for example, image information of the same plant individual at multiple points in time (which may include the individual information described above, particularly information such as the rhizome weight, rhizome length, thickness, number of leaves, and number of axillary buds), information on the date and time the images were acquired, and information on the environment in which the plant individual has grown, as training data, and uses growth conditions (e.g., the period since planting and changes in environmental information conditions) as input information and outputs the growth state of the plant at a specified future date and time (e.g., information such as the rhizome weight, rhizome length, thickness, number of leaves, and number of axillary buds). The model generation unit 117 may also generate a prediction model that learns the training data described above and uses the growth state of the plant at a future date and time (e.g., information such as the rhizome weight, rhizome length, thickness, number of leaves, and number of axillary buds) as input information and outputs environmental information (i.e., growth conditions).

[0056] Furthermore, the model generation unit 117 may learn, for example, image information of the same plant individual at multiple points in time (which may include the individual information described above, particularly information on the weight of the rhizome), information on the date and time when the image was acquired, and information on the environment in which the plant individual has grown, as training data, and generate a prediction model in which the desired shipping date (the date and time when the rhizome is desired to reach a predetermined weight, for example, 50 g) is used as input information and the growth conditions (for example, the period from planting and the transition of environmental information conditions, etc.) are output data. In this case, the desired shipping date may be set later than the scheduled shipping date, so that growth conditions that delay growth are output.

[0057] As an example, the model generation unit 117 generates a prediction model that predicts an appropriate response.

[0058] The model generation unit 117 learns environmental information or image information (which may include the individual information mentioned above, particularly information on rhizome weight, leaf condition, leaf size, etc.) and correspondence information as training data, and generates a prediction model in which at least either the environmental information or the image information is used as input information and the correspondence information is used as output information.

[0059] The presenting unit 114 may use the correspondence prediction model generated by the model generating unit 117 to identify correspondence to be presented to the user terminal 3 and present the correspondence.

[0060] The environmental control unit 115 may use the corresponding prediction model generated by the model generation unit 117 to identify and control the control method of the equipment provided in the cultivation room 42.

[0061] The prediction unit 118 makes various predictions using, for example, the state prediction model generated by the model generation unit 117. The prediction unit 118 predicts the scheduled shipping date, for example, using image information as input information. The prediction unit 118 also predicts the weight of the rhizome, for example, using growing conditions as input information. The prediction unit 118 also predicts the growing conditions, for example, using the desired shipping date as input information. The prediction unit 118 presents the prediction results to the user terminal 3.

[0062] A typical processing flow of the server device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The environmental information acquisition unit 111 acquires environmental information (1001). The image information acquisition unit 112 acquires image information (1002). The state determination unit 113 determines the state of the environment or the growth state of the plant from the environmental information or image information (1003). The presentation unit 114 presents the necessary measures to the user terminal 3. Alternatively, the environmental control unit 115 controls the operation of the devices provided in the cultivation room (1004). The implementation response information acquisition unit 116 acquires information on the implemented measures (1005). The model generation unit 117 generates a model (1006). The prediction unit 118 makes a prediction using the model (1007).

[0063] Other examples are described below.

[0064] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the status determination unit 113 determines the status by comparing environmental information and image information with reference information, but the status may also be determined by comparing environmental information or image information with environmental information or image information obtained at a previous point in time.

[0065] The image information may include information such as the taste (including, but not limited to, sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, umami, spiciness, astringency, etc.) of a part of a plant, its aroma, and the amount of each component (component related to the taste, nutritional components, functional components, etc.). In this case, the image information acquisition unit 112 may accept an operation of the user terminal 3 by the user, acquire individual information such as the taste, aroma, and component amount of each component, and store the information in the image information storage unit 132 in association with the image ID.

[0066] In this case, the model generation unit 117 may learn, for example, image information of the same plant individual at multiple points in time (which may include the individual information (taste, aroma, amount of each component) described above), information on the date and time when the image was acquired, and information on the environment in which the plant individual has grown as training data, and generate a prediction model in which the individual state of the plant at a future date and time (for example, information on taste, aroma, amount of each component, etc.) is used as input information and the environmental information (i.e., growing conditions) is used as output information.

[0067] When cultivating wasabi in the cultivation equipment 4, the containers 4111 do not have a flow path 4112 connecting the container 4111A installed on the upper level to the container 4111B installed on the lower level, but rather only need to have a flow path 4112 connecting each of the containers 4111 to a pool that is part of the circulation device 4133 provided in the solution control device 413 described below.

[0068] When cultivating wasabi in the cultivation facility 4, it is desirable that the solution used for hydroponic cultivation contained in the container 4111 is constantly flowing, and the flow rate of the nutrient solution is preferably 0.1 m / s or more and 0.5 m / s or less. In this case, the flow rate can be adjusted by adjusting the flow rate of the circulation device 4133. Note that the flow rate of the solution may be changed depending on the growth season, in accordance with changes in the amount of allelopathic substances such as allyl isothiocyanate and phenolic compounds secreted into the solution by wasabi depending on the growth season.

[0069] The cultivation equipment 4 does not have to be a container as described as an example, but may be a cultivation room 42 set up inside a building. The preparation room 41 may be clearly separated from the cultivation room 42, or may be set up in a corner of the cultivation room 42 without any clear separation.

[0070] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0071] The devices described in this specification may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by multiple devices (e.g., cloud servers) some or all of which are connected via a network. For example, the CPU and storage device of the management server 20 may be realized by different servers connected to each other via a network.

[0072] The series of processes performed by the device described herein may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. A computer program for implementing each function of the management server 20 according to this embodiment may be created and installed on a PC or the like. A computer-readable recording medium on which such a computer program is stored may also be provided. Examples of the recording medium include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a flash memory. The computer program may also be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a recording medium.

[0073] Additionally, the processes described herein do not necessarily have to be performed in the order described, some process steps may be performed in parallel, additional process steps may be employed, and some process steps may be omitted.

[0074] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification, in addition to or in place of the above-described effects.

[0075] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Server device 2 Network 3 User terminal 4 Cultivation equipment 101 CPU 102 Memory 103 Storage device 104 Communication interface 105 Input device 106 Output device 111 Environmental information acquisition unit 112 Image information acquisition unit 113 State determination unit 114 Presentation unit 115 Environmental control unit 116 Implementation correspondence information acquisition unit 117 Model generation unit 118 Prediction unit 131 Environmental information storage unit 132 Image information storage unit 133 Reference value information storage unit 134 Correspondence information storage unit 135 Implementation correspondence information storage unit 136 Model information storage unit

Claims

1. A support device for supporting plant cultivation, comprising: a state determination unit that determines the state of the plant based on an image of the plant being cultivated; a presentation unit that presents necessary corresponding information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environment control unit that controls the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.

2. The support device of claim 1, further comprising an implementation response information acquisition unit that acquires implementation response information, which is the response information implemented by the user, wherein the image includes a user image capturing the user's behavior, and the implementation response information acquisition unit acquires the implementation response information based on the user image.

3. The support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the state determination unit determines the state of the plant by comparing the growth information of the plant obtained from the image with a reference value.

4. The support device described in claim 3, further comprising: an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information, which is information about the cultivation environment of the plant; and a prediction unit that predicts the growth of the plant using a prediction model that is generated by learning the growth information and the environmental information as training data, and that uses the environmental information as input information and the growth information as output information.

5. A support system for supporting plant cultivation, comprising: a state determination unit that determines the state of the plant based on an image of the plant being cultivated; a presentation unit that presents necessary corresponding information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environment control unit that controls the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.

6. A support program for supporting plant cultivation, which causes a processor to execute: a state determination step for determining the state of the plant based on an image of the plant being cultivated; a presentation step for presenting necessary corresponding information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environment control step for controlling the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.

7. A support method for supporting plant cultivation, wherein a processor executes the following steps: a state determination step for determining the state of the plant based on an image of the plant to be cultivated; a presentation step for presenting necessary corresponding information to a user based on at least the state information; and an environment control step for controlling the cultivation environment of the plant based on at least the state information.

Images