Method and system for providing prediction on irrigation

Abstract

Provided is a method for predicting an irrigation time, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprising the steps of: acquiring data about soil humidity in a pot; calculating a variation amount of the soil humidity in the pot by referring to the data about the soil humidity in the pot; and predicting an irrigation time by referring to the variation amount of the soil humidity in the pot.

Description

Method and system for providing predictions regarding irrigation

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for determining and predicting the timing of watering.

[0002] Depending on the type of plant, the optimal temperature, pot size, and amount of sunlight required vary, and even within the same type of plant, the environment required by individual plants can differ.

[0003] In order to properly maintain the environment regarding plant growth conditions, constant monitoring of the environment in which plants are situated is necessary; however, unless the user is present at the plant's growing site, there are inevitably limitations in providing an appropriate growing environment due to factors such as the user's forgetfulness.

[0004] In addition, since watering must be done at the plant's growing location when it is time to water, even if the user receives a watering notification, watering from a remote location is impossible unless there is a separate watering system, so there is a risk of missing the watering time for the plants.

[0005] Meanwhile, conventional notification systems regarding soil humidity in flowerpots were designed to measure soil humidity and compare it to a reference value to issue a humidity alert to the user. In this case, while it is known that the reference value is determined using a database containing plant information or through arbitrary settings by the user, the basis and method for establishing such a reference value remain unclear.

[0006] The optimal soil moisture for a plant depends on its environment and growth conditions, so it inevitably varies depending on the plant and the environment. Therefore, it may be appropriate to determine the optimal soil moisture based on the plant's growth environment, particularly its soil moisture history.

[0007] Accordingly, the inventor(s) propose a method for determining and predicting the timing of watering, comprising the steps of: acquiring data regarding soil humidity within a flowerpot; calculating a change in soil humidity within the flowerpot by referring to the data regarding soil humidity within the flowerpot; and predicting the timing of watering by referring to the change in soil humidity within the flowerpot.

[0008] The present invention aims to solve all the problems of the aforementioned prior art.

[0009] In addition, the present invention has another objective of a method for determining and predicting the timing of watering, comprising acquiring data regarding soil humidity within a flowerpot, calculating a change in soil humidity within the flowerpot by referring to said data regarding soil humidity within the flowerpot, and predicting the timing of watering by referring to the change in soil humidity within the flowerpot.

[0010] In addition, the present invention has another objective of determining a state of soil moisture deficiency in the flowerpot in response to the absolute magnitude of the rate of decrease in soil moisture in the flowerpot falling short of the magnitude of a first reference value.

[0011] In addition, another objective of the present invention is to predict the watering time by referring to parameter data regarding the external environment that affects the watering time of soil humidity in the flowerpot.

[0012] A representative configuration of the present invention for achieving the above objective is as follows. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for predicting a watering time is provided, comprising the steps of: acquiring data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot; calculating a change in soil humidity in the flowerpot by referring to the data regarding soil humidity in the flowerpot; and predicting a watering time by referring to the change in soil humidity in the flowerpot.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for predicting a watering time is provided, comprising: a data acquisition unit for acquiring data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot; a calculation unit for calculating a change in soil humidity by referring to the data regarding soil humidity; and a prediction unit for predicting a watering time by referring to the calculated change in soil humidity.

[0014] In addition to this, other methods for implementing the present invention, other systems, and non-transient computer-readable recording media for recording a computer program for executing said methods are further provided.

[0015] According to the present invention, as a method for predicting the timing of watering, data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot is obtained, a change in soil humidity in a flowerpot is calculated by referring to the data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot, and the timing of watering can be predicted by referring to the change in soil humidity in a flowerpot.

[0016] In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine a state of soil moisture deficiency in the flowerpot in response to the absolute magnitude of the rate of decrease in soil moisture in the flowerpot decreasing to a magnitude less than that of a first reference value.

[0017] In addition, according to the present invention, the watering time can be predicted by referring to parameter data regarding the external environment that affects the watering time of soil humidity in the flowerpot.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of an overall system for providing a prediction regarding watering according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating in detail the internal configuration of an overall system for providing a prediction regarding watering according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the conditions for a humidity insufficient notification according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an algorithm that displays the conditions for generating a humidity shortage notification according to one embodiment of the present invention in a flowchart.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a drawing relating to a graph indicating a lack of humidity in a flowerpot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a drawing relating to a graph showing an irrigation cycle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a graph showing a method for asymptotic gradient convergence according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a graph showing a periodic slope measurement method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] <Explanation of Symbols>

[0027] 100: Communication network

[0028] 200: Information Estimation System

[0029] 210: Data Acquisition Unit

[0030] 220: Output section

[0031] 230: Prediction section

[0032] 240: Communications Department

[0033] 250: Control unit

[0034] 300: Device

[0035] The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that various embodiments of the invention are different but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be modified from one embodiment to another without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It should also be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not meant to be limiting, and the scope of the invention should be understood to encompass the scope claimed by the claims and all equivalents thereof. Similar reference numerals in the drawings indicate identical or similar components across various aspects.

[0036] Hereinafter, in order to enable a person skilled in the art to easily practice the present invention, various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0037] Configuration of the entire system

[0038] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of an overall system for providing a prediction regarding watering according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the entire system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a communication network (100), an irrigation prediction system (200), and a device (300).

[0040] First, a communication network (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be configured regardless of the mode of communication, such as wired communication or wireless communication, and can be configured as various communication networks such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), or a Wide Area Network (WAN). Preferably, the communication network (100) referred to in this specification may be the known Internet or the World Wide Web (WWW). However, the communication network (100) may include at least a known wired / wireless data communication network, a known telephone network, or a known wired / wireless television communication network, without being limited thereto.

[0041] For example, the communication network (100) may be a wireless data communication network and may implement conventional communication methods such as WiFi communication, WiFi-Direct communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, 5G communication, Bluetooth communication (including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication), infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, etc., in at least a part thereof. As another example, the communication network (100) may be an optical communication network and may implement conventional communication methods such as Light Fidelity (LiFi), etc., in at least a part thereof.

[0042] Next, a watering prediction system (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention is a system for predicting the timing of watering, and acquires data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot, calculates the amount of change in soil humidity in a flowerpot by referring to the data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot, and can predict the timing of watering by referring to the calculated amount of change in soil humidity in a flowerpot.

[0043] The configuration and function of the watering prediction system (200) according to the present invention will be examined in detail through the following detailed description.

[0044] Next, the device (300) according to one embodiment of the present invention is a digital device that includes a function to communicate after connecting to the watering prediction system (200), and any digital device equipped with memory means and equipped with a microprocessor to have computational capabilities, such as a cultivator, smartphone, tablet, smart watch, smart band, smart glasses, desktop computer, laptop computer, workstation, PDA, web pad, mobile phone, etc., can be adopted as the device (300) according to the present invention.

[0045] In particular, the device (300) may include an application (not shown) that enables a user to receive a service according to the present invention from the irrigation prediction system (200). Such an application may be downloaded from the irrigation prediction system (200) or an external application distribution server (not shown). Meanwhile, the nature of such an application may generally be similar to the data acquisition unit (210), calculation unit (220), prediction unit (230), communication unit (240), and control unit (250) of the irrigation prediction system (200) as described below. Here, at least a part of the application may be replaced with a hardware device or firmware device capable of performing substantially the same or equivalent functions as needed.

[0046] Configuration of the irrigation prediction system

[0047] Below, we will examine the internal configuration of the watering prediction system (200) that performs important functions for the implementation of the present invention and the functions of each component.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating in detail the internal configuration of an irrigation prediction system (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 2, an irrigation prediction system (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a data acquisition unit (210), a calculation unit (220), a prediction unit (230), a communication unit (240), and a control unit (250). According to one embodiment of the present invention, the data acquisition unit (210), the calculation unit (220), the prediction unit (230), the communication unit (240), and the control unit (250) may be program modules, at least some of which communicate with an external system (not shown). Such program modules may be included in the irrigation prediction system (200) in the form of an operating system, an application program module, or other program modules, and may be physically stored in various known memory devices. Additionally, such program modules may be stored in a remote memory device capable of communicating with the irrigation prediction system (200). Meanwhile, such program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, subroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or execute specific abstract data types as described below according to the present invention.

[0050] Meanwhile, although the irrigation prediction system (200) has been described as above, this description is exemplary, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that at least some of the components or functions of the irrigation prediction system (200) may be realized within a device (300) or server (not shown) or included within an external system (not shown) as needed.

[0051] First, a data acquisition unit (210) according to one embodiment of the present invention can acquire data regarding soil humidity in a flowerpot.

[0052] Specifically, a data acquisition unit (210) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a module for measuring humidity in a flowerpot and a user device capable of transmitting and receiving information via communication from the module, and the module may be equipped with means for measuring and transmitting soil humidity history. Here, the module and the device may include a device for reading, writing, and storing humidity values ​​detected by a sensor to generate a notification, and the conditions for generating a notification within the module and the device may be stored or changed by the user.

[0053] More specifically, the measurement of humidity through the data acquisition unit (210) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be determined by the operating method of the sensor included in the module, and the measurement of soil humidity may be performed by electrical resistance measurement and electrical capacitance measurement, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0054] In addition, the elements included in the data acquisition unit (210) according to one embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the elements described above and can be varied within the scope of achieving the purpose of the present invention.

[0055] Next, the output unit (220) can calculate the amount of change in soil humidity in the flowerpot by referring to data regarding soil humidity in the flowerpot.

[0056] Specifically, a calculation unit (220) according to one embodiment of the present invention can determine a first reference value having a positive value by referring to environmental condition statistical data including at least one of the type of plant in the pot, the type of soil, and the humidity history of the previous period, and can determine a state of soil humidity deficiency in the pot in response to the absolute magnitude of the rate of decrease of soil humidity in the pot decreasing to a magnitude less than the first reference value.

[0057] More specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, if the rate of decrease in volume within the flowerpot, i.e., the rate of decrease in humidity, decreases below a certain level, it is determined that there is a lack of humidity within the flowerpot, and thus the condition for triggering a humidity insufficient alert can be satisfied. At this time, the rate of decrease can be calculated as the absolute value of [Rate of decrease = (Current measured volume value - Previous measured volume value) / (Elapsed time between measurements)], and the magnitude of the first reference value for determining humidity in the flowerpot can be determined as a value deemed appropriate by the user by referring to environmental condition statistical data including the type of plant contained in the flowerpot, the type of soil, and previous humidity history.

[0058] For example, referring to FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a graph regarding conditions for a humidity insufficient notification according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Specifically, Figure 3(a) according to one embodiment of the present invention may show a state without humidity in two types of soil in which electrical capacitance was measured.

[0060] More specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the capacitance is determined by the dielectric constant between two electrodes, and there may be a unique dielectric constant depending on the type of soil. In addition, since the dielectric constant differs depending on the soil, the capacitance in a dry state may differ, and (a) shows that when soil A and soil B are each in a dry state, the unique capacitance of each soil is C A and C B It is a drawing indicating that.

[0061] Next, Figure 3(b) according to one embodiment of the present invention is a diagram showing the change in humidity over a specified time after watering flowerpots A and B, each containing soil A and soil B, respectively.

[0062] Specifically, it can be seen that the rate of change of capacity (humidity) over time, i.e., the slope, is different at the same capacity (humidity) value of each flowerpot history according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, S A is the rate of decrease in humidity S A The small absolute size of indicates a state of humidity depletion, and S B In this case, the absolute magnitude of the reduction rate is large, indicating a state where there is room for further reduction in humidity, that is, a state where there is room for residual humidity in the soil.

[0063] Next, Figure 3(c) according to one embodiment of the present invention shows the conditions for a humidity insufficient notification in a flowerpot.

[0064] Specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an arbitrary capacity value, an absolute value of slope S1 at C1, is a reference value S expressed as an absolute value. t If it is smaller, it can be determined to be a state of insufficient humidity. In other words, if the rate of change in humidity decreases below a certain level, this situation is judged as a state of insufficient humidity within the pot, and a humidity insufficient alert may be triggered.

[0065] Next, FIG. 3(d) according to one embodiment of the present invention shows another example of a notification of insufficient humidity in a flowerpot.

[0066] Specifically, in FIG. 3(d) according to one embodiment of the present invention, at time t1 the humidity history reaches capacity C2 and the absolute magnitude of the slope S2 at time t1 is a first reference value S t Since it is greater than the absolute magnitude of , it is judged that the humidity is sufficient, and thus it can be determined to be in a sufficient humidity state. On the other hand, the absolute magnitude of the slope S3 at time t2 is the absolute magnitude of the reference value S. t Since it is smaller, it is judged that humidity is insufficient, so it can be determined to be in a state of insufficient humidity.

[0067] For example, referring to FIG. 5 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a drawing relating to a graph indicating a lack of humidity in a flowerpot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Specifically, in FIG. 5 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the absolute magnitude of the reduction rate at the time of the humidity shortage notification is smaller than the absolute magnitude of the humidity shortage notification reference value (first reference value), so the humidity state in the flowerpot can be determined as a humidity shortage state.

[0069] Next, FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a diagram showing an algorithm that displays the conditions for generating a humidity shortage notification as a flowchart. Here, F i is a value that records whether a notification occurred, and F i If =1, it corresponds to a case where a notification occurred, and F i If =0, it can be determined that a notification may occur because no notification occurred.

[0070] Next, the prediction unit (230) according to one embodiment of the present invention can predict the timing of watering by referring to the amount of change in soil moisture calculated.

[0071] For example, FIG. 6 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a drawing relating to a graph showing an irrigation cycle.

[0072] Specifically, the prediction unit (230) according to one embodiment of the present invention can predict the watering time by referring to parameter data regarding the external environment that affects the watering time of soil humidity in the flowerpot. That is, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a time interval occurs from the point in time when the humidity state in the flowerpot is insufficient until the next state where the humidity is insufficient occurs, and this can be viewed as a watering cycle. Since this watering cycle is influenced by external environmental conditions such as season, temperature, and humidity, the watering cycle may be similar when the environmental conditions are similar.

[0073] For example, parameters affecting the irrigation cycle (T) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include temperature, atmospheric humidity, soil humidity, sunlight intensity, type of soil (various types of soil may be mixed and may be expressed as the mixing ratio of each component so that the total sum of each component is 100%), type of plant, identifier of plant nutrient (the relative amount of each component may be expressed as a ratio so that the total sum of each nutrient, such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, is 100%), concentration of nutrient (which may be a quantitative indicator indicating the concentration at which the plant nutrient is administered in water. For example, it may be expressed as a total mass of nutrient of 1 mg per 1 L of water), etc.), but the parameters affecting the irrigation cycle are not necessarily limited to these.

[0074] Furthermore, the prediction unit (230) according to one embodiment of the present invention can calculate the watering cycle multiple times and accumulate data to generate statistical data according to environmental conditions, and the generated data can be stored in a device and utilized according to the user's needs.

[0075] In particular, regarding the statistical data of the irrigation cycle according to one embodiment of the present invention, the statistical data of the irrigation cycle may be generated in response to changes in all parameters affecting the irrigation cycle, or the statistical data of the irrigation cycle may be generated in response to changes in only some parameters affecting the irrigation cycle.

[0076] For example, when irrigation cycle data is accumulated using only temperature and humidity data according to one embodiment of the present invention, statistical data regarding the irrigation cycle can be output using only the inputs of temperature and atmospheric humidity. Here, the method of predicting the irrigation cycle using parameter data inputs may be performed not only by statistical methods but also by a model generated as a result of machine learning.

[0077] Meanwhile, a statistical approach to predicting the watering cycle by referring to parameter data regarding the external environment affecting humidity within a flowerpot according to one embodiment of the present invention can be used to supplement the asymptotic slope convergence method and the periodic slope measurement method when the accuracy of the prediction methods is low because the change in slope does not change with a constant pattern.

[0078] Specifically, FIG. 7 is a graph showing the asymptotic gradient convergence method, and FIG. 8 is a graph showing the periodic gradient measurement method.

[0079] First, referring to FIG. 7 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an asymptotic gradient convergence method can be described as follows: humidity can be measured at any point in time after irrigation to obtain a value m1. By calculating the rate of change S1 of humidity at m1, a point in time P1 can be obtained where the humidity is predicted to reach a lower limit if the humidity changes constantly according to that rate of change, and a value m2 can be obtained by measuring the humidity at point P1. Additionally, by calculating the rate of change S2 of humidity at m2, a point in time P2 can be obtained where the humidity is predicted to reach a lower limit if the humidity changes according to that rate of change. By repeating this process, when the difference between consecutive slopes becomes smaller than a certain threshold value t, the point in time where the humidity is predicted to reach a lower limit according to the last rate of change can be set as the irrigation prediction point. At this time, t may be arbitrarily determined by the user.

[0080] Next, a periodic slope measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 8. After watering, humidity values ​​(m1, m2, ...) and the rate of change in humidity (s1, s2, ...) can be measured at regular time intervals. When the difference between two consecutive rates of change becomes smaller than a certain threshold value t, the point in time at which the humidity is predicted to reach a lower limit based on the last rate of change can be set as the watering prediction point. At this time, t and the time interval may be arbitrarily determined by the user.

[0081] Next, a communication unit (240) according to one embodiment of the present invention can perform the function of enabling data transmission and reception from / to a data acquisition unit (210), a calculation unit (220), and a prediction unit (230).

[0082] Finally, a control unit (250) according to one embodiment of the present invention can perform the function of controlling the flow of data between a data acquisition unit (210), a calculation unit (220), a prediction unit (230), and a communication unit (240). That is, by controlling the flow of data from / to / from the outside of the irrigation prediction system (200) or the flow of data between each component of the irrigation prediction system (200), the control unit (250) according to one embodiment of the present invention can control the data acquisition unit (210), the calculation unit (220), the prediction unit (230), and the communication unit (240) to perform their respective unique functions.

[0083] The embodiments according to the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer components and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either individually or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be those specifically designed and configured for the present invention or those known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Examples of program instructions include machine code, such as that generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. Hardware devices may be modified into one or more software modules to perform processing according to the present invention, and vice versa.

[0084] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific details such as specific components, limited embodiments, and drawings, this is provided only to aid in a more comprehensive understanding of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and a person skilled in the art to which the invention belongs can make various modifications and changes from this description.

Claims

1. As a method for predicting the timing of irrigation, Step of acquiring data regarding soil moisture in a flowerpot, A step of calculating the amount of change in soil moisture within the flowerpot by referring to data regarding soil moisture within the flowerpot, and A step of predicting the watering time by referring to the change in soil moisture within the above-mentioned flowerpot method.

2. In Paragraph 1, In the above calculation step, a state of soil humidity deficiency in the pot is determined in response to the absolute magnitude of the rate of decrease of soil humidity in the pot falling below the absolute magnitude of the first reference value, and a humidity deficiency notification is transmitted in response to the state of soil humidity deficiency in the pot. method.

3. In Paragraph 1, In the above prediction step, the watering time is predicted by referring to the change in soil moisture within the flowerpot, and at least one watering prediction notification related to the watering time is transmitted. The time intervals for transmitting the above irrigation prediction notifications can be set differently. method.

4. A non-transient computer-readable recording medium for recording a computer program for executing the method according to paragraph 1.

5. As a system for predicting the timing of irrigation, A data acquisition unit for acquiring data regarding soil moisture in a flowerpot, A calculation unit that calculates the amount of change in soil humidity by referring to the data regarding the soil humidity above, and A prediction unit that predicts the timing of watering by referring to the change in soil moisture calculated above. System.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above calculation unit determines a state of soil humidity deficiency in the flowerpot in response to the absolute magnitude of the rate of decrease of soil humidity in the flowerpot falling below the absolute magnitude of the first reference value, and transmits a humidity deficiency notification in response to the state of soil humidity deficiency in the flowerpot. System.

7. In Paragraph 5, The above prediction unit predicts the watering time by referring to the change in soil moisture within the flowerpot, and transmits at least one watering prediction notification related to the watering time. The time intervals for transmitting the above irrigation prediction notifications can be set differently. System.

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