Traditional greenhouse and greenhouse farms, even in favorable climatic conditions, require considerable effort from the owner to obtain the planned harvest. Complexes of technical work on the arrangement of structures can also be noted, but the tasks of elementary control play a significant role in the operation process. The concept of a smart greenhouse makes it possible to greatly facilitate the functions of the owner when creating and maintaining such objects. You can implement it with your own hands using special equipment and hardware and software tools.
Automation in the greenhouse
In general terms, a smart greenhouse can be considered as an analogue of a smart home. The main task of the system is to provide elements of intelligent control, which will positively affect several parameters of the operation of the farm at once. A key factor in the implementation of automatic controlis the control of microclimate indicators without user intervention. The system must independently, based on the current temperature and humidity data, adjust the necessary parameters every day, hour and even minute, taking into account the requirements of specific vegetation. But there may be problems in the idea of introducing automation for a greenhouse. It is not difficult to implement the basic elements of the system with your own hands - it is enough to connect sensors with several sensitivity sensors to equipment that directly controls the microclimate and other regulatory processes. The difficulty lies in the contradictions between the requirements of different functional components of the greenhouse. This is not even about the fact that conditional cucumbers and tomatoes need a different watering regime, but differences in terms of moisture needs and thermal comfort in relation to the soil and the upper part of the plants.
Choosing a location for a greenhouse
At the first stages of the project, you can focus on the general rules for the technical arrangement of the structure. Of course, the choice of the location of the farm is a fundamental point. If there is a shortage of heat and solar energy in the region, then the slope and long side of the structure should be turned to the south. According to experts, such a decision justifies itself if the emphasis is on spring cultivation with seedlings. Summer greenhouses, on the contrary, should be oriented to the north, since in this case the ridges will receive more effective translucence with evening and morning rays. Also, in choosing a place, do not forget about the reliability of the soil. With your own hands under a smart greenhouse you canprepare in advance and a universal foundation from a pile structure with a grillage. But if it is planned to build a frame on the basis of a strip foundation, then a geodetic calculation should be carried out with groundwater readings. This option has its limitations in terms of execution.
Installation of the upper structural part
Initially, do not forget that a high-tech and equipment-filled greenhouse should provide for the possibility of cable wiring and the installation of complex equipment. That is, the materials of manufacture should be used with a pliable structure as far as possible in terms of processing. However, there will be nothing fundamentally new in the implementation of this part. The supporting skeleton can be made of metal poles with transverse frames, and glass or polycarbonate can be used for decoration. Do-it-yourself installation of a smart greenhouse is carried out by a typical set of operations - with the help of hardware, brackets and clamps, docking between the elements is carried out using welding equipment or a drill-driver. More important is the correct calculation of the structure so that it lasts a long time and does not require adjustment during operation. For communication support, special cable channels are laid. The material for them is selected from moisture-resistant and well-insulated plastics. Already in the greenhouse itself, a grounding system and protected sections for installing safety blocks should be considered.
Technical implementation of greenhouse automation
To control control systemsmicroclimate uses sensors, sensor elements, actuators and communication tools to deliver signals. However, without microcontroller control, this infrastructure cannot be created. As an optimal solution to this problem, products based on "Arduino" are used. A smart greenhouse controlled by this device receives a full range of tools for constant control by functional modules. The "Arduino" system is a small board with a microcircuit provided by the professor and memory. Depending on the specific configuration of this device, a certain number of external devices can be connected. In small greenhouses, up to a dozen controlled elements are used, including electric motors, lighting devices, door mechanisms, watering systems, etc. The connected components are controlled according to a user-defined algorithm, taking into account external parameters.
How to develop an Arduino project?
All functional elements of the control complex are assembled individually. Some of the devices are directly included in the service system of the microcontroller, and the other part is involved in changing the parameters of the working environment. The user is required to initially determine what functional elements will be needed to organize the autonomous operation of the greenhouse and how the controller function will be technologically organized. Typically, Arduino projects are developed according to the followingalgorithm:
- Determination of target factors that affect plant life. The basic ones include temperature, humidity, light, and carbon dioxide content.
- Drafting a diagram, according to which the control infrastructure will be implemented using the controller.
- Drafting a layout of equipment and sensors with information on target parameters.
- Creating a technological map of the interaction of the control panel with the functional units of the controller.
- Development of an algorithm at the software level to automate greenhouse management processes.
- Technical support of functional units with power supply system.
Types of airing machines
Air circulation is one of the key factors ensuring the balanced development of heat-loving plants. In this case, the task is to perform this function in automatic mode. How to ensure it? There are three main ways to implement automatic greenhouse ventilation:
- From an automobile shock absorber. The simplest budget solution, which is made from piston mechanisms and a gas spring of a car. Do-it-yourself automatic ventilation of the greenhouse from a shock absorber can be made using metal pipes, plumbing plugs and a pneumatic stop with a hull base. This infrastructure, in fact, forms a thermal drive that can be fixed in the window leaf of the same polycarbonate wall or canopy.
- Electric fan. Viathe thermal switch is mounted a full-fledged ventilation system of sufficient power with connection to a local generator or powered by its own battery.
- Valve mechanisms. A cutout is made in the window structure or on the roof of the greenhouse for installing a ventilation valve. Automation in this case will be integrated, and its level depends on the specific version of the device. Today, there are models with program control, and with mechanical regulators that do not require power supply.
Lighting system
Greenhouse vegetation on average should receive light 14-16 hours a day. There is also no point in round-the-clock lighting, so there is a need for a self-regulating system. First, it is necessary to initially determine what the light sources will be. As a universal option, you can use special LEDs for greenhouses or devices with the so-called useful red illumination, operating on waves in the range from 600 to 700 nanometers. However, during the flowering period, blue waves in the spectrum of 400-500 nanometers should be connected. In terms of the implementation of lighting, a smart greenhouse with your own hands can be provided with a controlled group of protected lamps with a wide range of adjustable parameters embedded in the base of a common controller. The main task is to correctly and rationally organize the connection from the contactors of the Arduino system to each lamp. For this, control relays with collectors and drivers for changing the characteristics of the glow can also be used.
Irrigation system
A plant placement plan should be prepared by the time this part is designed. It is advisable to distribute them into groups with the same watering requirements. Automatics for watering the greenhouse will also be connected to a central controller connected to humidity sensors. The simplest option for implementing such a system is to install a barrel of water, which will be collected by rainwater from the drain. The irrigation process will be controlled by a ball valve with a connected automatic direct-pull transom.
Drip irrigation system
Complicated in terms of design, but effective in terms of plant water supply system. To create it, you will need an automatically adjustable dispenser and equipment for distributing water, which can be made from a plastic pipe. So, perforated channels are mounted along all the beds of the smart greenhouse. For seedlings, you can limit yourself to soil moisture. The entire piping system must also be controlled by a circulation pump, which will maintain the optimum level of pressure in the circuits.
Means for stimulating fertile soil
The activity of growth and development of plants depends on the soil microflora. To maintain the optimal air-humidity regime of the earth, an appropriate set of smart greenhouses is required, which will include electrical elements for heating and watering the soil. Usually mats or plate devices are used, which are placed directly inground or under it, and on the other hand are connected to the power supply system with a controller.
Conclusion
The vital activity characteristics of greenhouse plants depend on the comfort provided by the local climate equipment. Microclimate control systems based on controllers and other automation are not just a step towards increasing the convenience of the owner of this farm. This is a much more accurate setting of air, moisture and temperature control modes, as well as a means of improving the energy efficiency of the equipment used. The rational use of energy resources is just one of the key factors in the development of control systems based on Arduino.
