Control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12418739-B2
Application number	US-202117996864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2021
Priority date	May 29, 2020
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

A control apparatus includes: a determiner configured to determine, for each indicator of a plurality of indicators, whether an event relevant to a change in the respective indicator has occurred, the plurality of indicators relating to an environment in which crops are grown, each indicator of the plurality of indicators being detected by one or more sensors of a plurality of sensors; an identifier configured to identify, based on a result of a determination executed by the determiner, a plurality of target sensors from among the plurality of sensors, a number of the plurality of target sensors being less than a number of the plurality of sensors; and a transmission instructor configured to instruct each target sensor of the plurality of target sensors to transmit a respective detection result.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
determine, for each indicator of a plurality of indicators, whether an event relevant to a change in the respective indicator has occurred, the plurality of indicators relating to an environment in which crops are grown, each indicator of the plurality of indicators being detected by one or more sensors of a plurality of sensors;
identify, based on a result of the determination, a plurality of target sensors from among the plurality of sensors, a number of target sensors being less than a number of sensors included in the plurality of sensors; and
instruct each target sensor of the plurality of target sensors to transmit a respective detection result,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
determine a maximum allowable number of target sensors based on a communication capability of a communicator to set the number of target sensors to a number not greater than the maximum allowable number, and
receive the respective detection result from each target sensor.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of indicators includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator relating to the environment, the second indicator relating to the environment,
the first indicator has a greater effect on growth of crops than the second indicator, and
the processing circuitry is configured to identify, as the plurality of target sensors, sensors configured to detect the first indicator more preferentially than sensors configured to detect the second indicator from among the plurality of sensors based on the processing circuitry determining that both a first event relevant to a change in the first indicator and a second event relevant to a change in the second indicator has occurred or based on the processing circuitry determining that an event relevant to both a change in the first indicator and a change in the second indicator has occurred.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to, as a determination of whether an event relevant to a change in one indicator of the plurality of indicators has occurred and as a determination of whether an event relevant to a change in at least one indicator of the plurality of indicator has occurred, determine whether an event relevant to both the change in the one indicator and the change in the at least one indicator has occurred, the at least one indicator of the plurality of indicator differing from the one indicator.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of indicators includes a first indicator relating to the environment, and
the processing circuitry is configured to receive event data relating to occurrence of a first event relevant to a change in the first indicator to determine, based on the event data, whether the first event has occurred.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of indicators includes a first environmental indicator and a second environmental indicator, the first environmental indicator relating to the environment, the second environmental indicator relating to the environment, and
the processing circuitry is configured to determine, based on a state of operation of a regulator, whether an event relevant to a change in the second environmental indicator has occurred, the regulator including circuitry being configured to regulate the first environmental indicator, the circuitry of the regulator being configured to change the second environmental indicator in accordance with regulating the first environmental indicator.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a timing of transmitting the detection result based on a stage of growth of the crops to notify the plurality of target sensors of the timing of transmitting the detection result.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine, for each target sensor, a respective timing of transmitting a subsequent detection result based on a difference between a current detection result and a previous detection result to notify each target sensor of the respective timing of transmitting the subsequent detection result corresponding to the respective target sensor.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine, for each target sensor, the respective timing of transmitting the subsequent detection result based on a relationship between the difference and a threshold value.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine, for each target sensor, a respective timing of transmitting a subsequent detection result based on a change in the detection result to notify each target sensor of the respective timing of transmitting the subsequent detection result corresponding to the respective target sensor.

10. A control apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
determine, for each indicator of a plurality of indicators, whether an event relevant to a change in the respective indicator has occurred, the plurality of indicators relating to an environment in which crops are grown, each indicator of the plurality of indicators being detected by one or more sensors of a plurality of sensors;
identify, based on a result of a determination executed by the processing circuitry, a plurality of target sensors from among the plurality of sensors, a number of target sensors being less than a number of sensors included in the plurality of sensors; and
instruct each target sensor of the plurality of target sensors to transmit a respective detection result,

wherein the crops are grown in an agricultural house including a door,
wherein the plurality of indicators includes temperature of air in the agricultural house, and
wherein an event relevant to a change in the temperature is an event in which the door opens.

11. A control apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
determine, for each indicator of a plurality of indicators, whether an event relevant to a change in the respective indicator has occurred, the plurality of indicators relating to an environment in which crops are grown, each indicator of the plurality of indicators being detected by one or more sensors of a plurality of sensors;
identify, based on a result of a determination executed by the processing circuitry, a plurality of target sensors from among the plurality of sensors, a number of target sensors being less than a number of sensors included in the plurality of sensors; and
instruct each target sensor of the plurality of target sensors to transmit a respective detection result,

wherein the crops are grown in an agricultural house including a door,
wherein the plurality of indicators includes humidity in the agricultural house, and
wherein an event relevant to a change in the humidity is an event in which the door opens.

Assignees

• Ntt Docomo Inc

Inventors

• Moribe Tomoya
• Yamanaka Gou
• Takahashi Makoto
• Matsuoka Hisashi
• Okano Yoshiki

Classifications

• Y02A40/25

  Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor · CPC title

• A01G9/22

  Shades or blinds for greenhouses, or the like · CPC title

• A01G9/246

  Air-conditioning systems · CPC title

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• A01G9/241 Primary

  Arrangement of opening or closing systems for windows and ventilation panels · CPC title