Search

KR-102964963-B1 - Smart Farm System and Operating Method Thereof

KR102964963B1KR 102964963 B1KR102964963 B1KR 102964963B1KR-102964963-B1

Abstract

A smart farm system and a method of operating the system are disclosed. A smart farm system according to one embodiment may include a smart farm node device installed in a crop cultivation area to measure environmental information and control a valve, variably adjust the sensor data collection cycle of a sensor according to a measured battery voltage value, perform sensor measurement, valve control, and data communication in parallel without mutual interference, and automatically reconnect and restore a session to transmit and receive data when the network connection is disconnected; and a smart farm service device connected to the smart farm node device via a communication network, receiving measurement data from the node device and transmitting a control signal to the node device according to a user command from a person managing the smart farm.

Inventors

  • 윤대인
  • 김병진

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251020

Claims (10)

  1. A smart farm node device configured to be installed in a crop cultivation area to measure environmental information and control a valve, to variably adjust the sensor data collection cycle of a sensor according to a measured battery voltage value, to perform sensor measurement, valve control, and data communication in parallel without mutual interference, and to automatically reconnect and restore a session to transmit and receive data when the network connection is disconnected; and A smart farm service device connected to the smart farm node device via a communication network, receiving measurement data from the node device, and transmitting a control signal to the node device according to a user command from a person managing the smart farm; The smart farm node device described above controls the parallel execution of multiple tasks by executing an asynchronous message communication module, and maintains communication without data loss by automatically reconnecting and restoring sessions in the event of network instability. The smart farm service device described above visualizes data received from sensors in real time and provides a web-based user interface that allows a person managing the smart farm to remotely input valve opening/closing commands or environmental control commands, and the control commands input from the user interface are transmitted to the smart farm node device. The smart farm node device sets the sensor data collection period shorter than the reference when the measured voltage is above a predetermined threshold, and sets the sensor data collection period longer than the reference when the voltage is below the threshold. The smart farm node device described above applies random jitter to randomly delay the network initialization or communication start time during booting, thereby dispersing the concentration of network connection requests or communication conflicts that may occur when multiple smart farm node devices boot simultaneously. The power supply unit further includes a solar panel installed outside the crop cultivation area that generates electrical energy using sunlight, and a charging circuit that rectifies and charges the power generated from the solar panel and stores it. It further includes a sensor device that measures environmental information and is driven by power supplied from the above power supply, a valve device that drives a valve, and a microcontroller that controls the sensor device and the valve device. The sensor device comprises a soil moisture sensor for measuring moisture content in the soil, a temperature and humidity sensor for measuring the temperature and humidity of the cultivation space, a flow sensor for detecting the flow rate of the irrigation line, and a battery voltage detector for measuring the voltage status of a battery included in the power supply unit. The above-described smart farm node device is a smart farm system that predicts the possibility of a decrease in charging amount when a value measured through a solar irradiance sensor or illuminance sensor of a solar panel falls below a certain threshold, and automatically extends the sensor data measurement cycle and communication transmission cycle.
  2. delete
  3. delete
  4. delete
  5. delete
  6. delete
  7. delete
  8. delete
  9. delete
  10. delete

Description

Smart Farm System and Operating Method Thereof The present invention relates to a smart farm system and a method of operating the system, and more specifically, to a smart farm system and a method of operating the system that maximizes energy efficiency through variable sensor cycle control based on battery level, ensures stable wireless communication by applying an asynchronous MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) client (e.g., based on uasyncio), and enables intuitive and remote control through a Node-RED HMI. A smart farm refers to a farm that integrates ICT into facilities such as vinyl greenhouses, glasshouses, and livestock barns to remotely and automatically maintain and manage optimal growth environments for crops or livestock. With the recent advancement and commercialization of smart farm technology, there is a growing trend to actively adopt automated control systems in greenhouse cultivation environments. Complex controllers performing automated control measures essential environmental factors for crop cultivation—such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, CO2 levels, irrigation or nutrient solutions, switches, and cameras—and control the composition of these environments to acquire valuable data. Through such smart farms, optimal growth conditions can be established based on data regarding crop growth and environmental information, thereby improving the productivity and quality of agricultural products while reducing the input of labor, energy, and nutrients compared to conventional methods. However, existing smart farm systems consume a significant amount of energy because they rely on constant power (AC power) or, even if battery-based, use fixed sensor measurement cycles. Additionally, software-wise, they use limited synchronous MQTT clients, leading to reduced reliability in the event of network instability. FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a smart farm system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the smart farm node system of Figure 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the detailed configuration of the smart farm node device of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation process of a smart farm system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation process of the smart farm node device of Figure 2. The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. All flowcharts, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, etc., which can be substantially represented on a computer-readable medium, should be understood as representing various processes performed by a computer or processor, regardless of whether the computer or processor is explicitly depicted. The functions of the various elements illustrated in the drawings, including functional blocks represented as processors or similar concepts, may be provided by the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in conjunction with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, said functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components. Specific embodiments will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a smart farm system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a smart farm node system of FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a smart farm system (90) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply unit (100), a smart farm node system (110), a communication network (120), and a smart farm service device (130), in part or in whole. Here, "including some or all" means that some components, such as a power supply unit (100), may be omitted to configure the smart farm system (90) of FIG. 1, or that some or all components constituting the smart farm service unit (130) may be configured in the smart farm node system (110) or integrated into a network device (e.g., wireless exchange unit, gateway, etc.) constituting the communication network (120), and is described as including all to facilitate a sufficient understanding of the invention. The power supply unit (100) may include a solar panel that generates electrical energy using sunlight, installed outside the crop cultivation area (e.g