US 11,957,087 B2
IoT based hydroponic communications system for agricultural industries
Basem Almadani, Dhahran (SA); and Saud Mohammad Mostafa, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jul. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/859,630.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/294,558, filed on Dec. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0200319 A1, Jun. 29, 2023
Int. Cl. A01G 7/04 (2006.01); A01G 31/02 (2006.01); G16Y 10/05 (2020.01); G16Y 20/10 (2020.01); G16Y 40/10 (2020.01); G16Y 40/30 (2020.01); H04L 67/12 (2022.01); H04W 4/38 (2018.01)
CPC A01G 31/02 (2013.01) [G16Y 10/05 (2020.01); G16Y 20/10 (2020.01); G16Y 40/10 (2020.01); G16Y 40/30 (2020.01); H04L 67/12 (2013.01); H04W 4/38 (2018.02)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An Internet of Things (IoT) based hydroponic farm system, comprising:
a cloud server including a data distribution service (DDS) domain, wherein the DDS domain includes data distribution service middleware configured to use a real time publish-subscribe protocol to wirelessly communicate hydroponic farm information;
a plurality of hydroponic farms, wherein each hydroponic farm is divided into a plurality of hydroponic plant growing zones, wherein each hydroponic plant growing zone is configured to grow at least one species of plant;
a plurality of zone controllers, wherein each zone controller is located in one of the plurality of hydroponic plant growing zones;
a plurality of farm controllers, wherein each farm controller is assigned to one of the hydroponic farms, and wherein each farm controller is configured to wirelessly communicate through the DDS domain with the zone controllers in the hydroponic farm to which it is assigned;
a process controller wirelessly connected to each of the farm controllers, wherein each process controller is configured to communicate through the DDS domain with each of the farm controllers;
a production planning controller wirelessly connected to the process controller, wherein the production planning controller is configured to communicate through the DDS domain with the process controller;
an enterprise resource planning controller wirelessly connected to the production planning controller, wherein the enterprise resource planning controller is configured to communicate through the DDS domain with the production planning controller;
a plurality of user computing stations subscribed to the data distribution service middleware, wherein the plurality of user computing stations are configured to communicate, through the DDS domain using the data distribution service middleware, with any one of the zone controllers, the farm controllers, the process controller, the production planning controller, and the enterprise resource planning controller;
publishing, through the DDS domain using the data distribution service middleware, hydroponic farm information to any of a plurality of user computing stations subscribed to the data distribution service middleware;
wherein:
each of the zone controllers, the farm controllers, the process controller, the production planning controller, and the enterprise resource planning controller are subscribed to the data distribution service middleware and are configured as publishers when transmitting hydroponic farm information to and as subscribers when receiving hydroponic farm information from any one of the zone controllers, the farm controllers, the process controller, the production planning controller, the enterprise resource planning controller, and any one of the user computing stations; and
receiving, through the DDS domain using the data distribution service middleware, control instructions from any of the plurality of user computing stations.