US 12,010,956 B2
Plant growth control system
Paul J. L. H. Bouwens, Hedehusene (DK); Andrew Wreathall Lee, Hedehusene (DK); and Peter Benjamin Spoor, Hedehusene (DK)
Assigned to ROCKWOOL A/S, Hedehusense (DK)
Appl. No. 17/280,500
Filed by ROCKWOOL International A/S, Hedehusene (DK)
PCT Filed Sep. 27, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/076280
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 26, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/065050, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 18197457 (EP), filed on Sep. 28, 2018; and application No. 18213149 (EP), filed on Dec. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0337748 A1, Nov. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. A01G 25/16 (2006.01); A01G 9/24 (2006.01); A01G 31/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01G 25/167 (2013.01) [A01G 9/24 (2013.01); A01G 31/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for controlling plant growth conditions in hydroponic growing systems, the system for controlling plant growth conditions comprising:
at least one detector for measuring at least one property of a plant growth substrate or environmental condition;
first and second data processing means; and
the at least one detector being arranged to measure a property or properties of a plant growth substrate or environmental condition and to transmit a detector identifier and the measured property or properties over a communications link to the first data processing means;
the first data processing means being arranged to:
hold in a memory predefined growth data including one or more of irrigation data, environmental data, plant data, harvest data, crop data and climate data, the predefined growth data defining a relationship between external parameters and plural desired environmental and irrigation parameters, wherein the plural external parameters comprise:
plural values for one or more of temperature, pH level, water content, nutrient content, oxygen content of the substrate, air temperature, humidity and light level, climate conditions, plant parameters, harvest and crop conditions;
process measured properties received from each detector to obtain processed properties of the substrate;
provide an output indicative of a desired growth input for the growth substrate, based upon the processed properties and the predefined growth data, wherein the processed properties and said output form processed data; and
calculate predicted properties of the substrate based on the processed data;
determine a difference between the processed properties of the substrate and the predicted properties of the substrate;
the second data processing means being arranged to:
receive said difference from the first data processing means;
receive a message condition input for outputting a message based on said difference; and
output a message when said difference meets the message condition.