Traditional greenhouse and greenhouse farms, even in favorable climatic conditions, require considerable effort from the owner to obtain the planned harvest. It is possible to note the complexes of technical work on the arrangement of structures, but the elementary control tasks play a significant role in the operation process. To greatly facilitate the functions of the owner in the creation and maintenance of such objects allows the concept of smart greenhouses. You can implement it with your own hands using special equipment and hardware and software.
Greenhouse automation
In general terms, a smart greenhouse can be considered as an analogue of a smart home. The main objective of the system is to provide elements of intelligent control, which will positively affect several parameters of the operation of the economy at once. A key factor in the implementation of automatic control is the control of microclimate indicators without user intervention. The system should independently, based on 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 the greenhouse. With your own hands, the basic elements of the system are easy to implement - just 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 the various functional components of the greenhouse. We are not even talking about the fact that conditional cucumbers and tomatoes need a different watering regime, but in the differences in terms of moisture and thermal comfort needs in relation to the soil and the upper part of plants.
Choosing a place for the greenhouse
At the first stages of the project, you can focus on the general rules of the technical arrangement of the structure. Of course, the crucial point is the choice of location of the economy. If in the region there is a shortage of heat and solar energy, then the ramp and the long side of the structure should be facing south. According to experts, this decision justifies itself if the emphasis is on spring cultivation with nurseries. On the contrary, summer greenhouses should be oriented north, since in this case the ridges will receive more effective translucence by 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 can prepare in advance a universal foundation from a pile construction with a grillage. But if it is planned to build a frame on the basis of the strip foundation, then a geodetic calculation should be carried out with indications for groundwater. This option has its limitations in terms of performance.
Installation of the upper structural part
Initially, one should not forget that a high-tech and equipment-filled greenhouse should provide for the possibility of cabling and installation of complex equipment. That is, the materials of manufacture should be used, if possible, with a pliable structure 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 standard 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 design calculation, 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, you should consider the grounding system and the protected sections for installing the safety blocks.
Technical implementation of greenhouse automation
Climate control systems are controlled by sensors, sensory elements, actuators and communication tools for signal delivery. 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 under the control of this device receives a full range of tools for constant monitoring of 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, among which are electric motors, lighting fixtures, door mechanisms, watering systems, etc. Control of connected components is carried out according to a user-defined algorithm taking into account external parameters.
How to develop a project "Arduino"?
All functional elements of the control complex are assembled individually. Some devices are directly included in the microcontroller’s service system, while others are involved in changing the parameters of the working environment. The user is required to initially determine what functional elements are 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 following algorithm:
- Identification of target factors that affect plant life. The basic ones include temperature, humidity, illumination, as well as carbon dioxide content.
- Drawing up a scheme by which the control infrastructure will be implemented using the controller.
- Drawing up a layout diagram of equipment and sensors with information on target parameters.
- Creating a technological map of the interaction of the control panel with the functional nodes of the controller.
- Development of an algorithm at the software level for automation of greenhouse management processes.
- Technical support of functional blocks with a power supply system.
Types of ventilation 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 provide this? There are three main ways to implement automatic ventilation of a greenhouse:
- From a car shock absorber. The simplest budget solution that is made of piston mechanisms and a gas spring of the car. With your own hands, the automation of ventilating the greenhouse from the shock absorber can be done with the help of metal pipes, plumbing plugs and pneumatic stop with a body 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. Using the thermal relay, a full-fledged ventilation system of sufficient power is mounted 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 to install 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 programmed control, and with mechanical regulators that do not require power supply.
Lighting system
Hothouse vegetation on average should receive light 14-16 hours a day. Round-the-clock lighting also makes no sense, so there is a need for a self-regulating system. First, you must first 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 backlight, 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 list of adjustable parameters embedded in the base of the general controller. The main task is to correctly and rationally organize the connection from the Arduino system contactors to each lamp. To do this, control relays with collectors and drivers for changing the glow characteristics can also be used.
Irrigation system
By the time of designing this part, a plan with the placement of plants should be prepared. It is advisable to distribute them into groups with the same watering requirements. Automation for irrigation of 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 recruited due to the rainwater coming from the drain. The watering process will be controlled by a ball valve with an automatic direct draft transom connected.
Drip irrigation system
Complex in design, but effective in terms of plant water supply. To create it, you will need an automatically adjustable dispenser and equipment for the distribution of water, which can be made from a plastic pipe. So, perforated channels are mounted along all the beds of a smart greenhouse. For seedlings, you can limit yourself to moistening the soil. The entire piping system must also be controlled by a circulation pump, which will maintain an optimal pressure level in the circuits.
Fertile Soil Stimulants
The activity of growth and development of plants depends on 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 water supply to the soil. Usually mats or lamellar devices are used, which are placed directly in or under the ground, and on the other hand are connected to the power supply system with a controller.
Conclusion
The life characteristics of greenhouse plants depend on the comfort provided by the local climate equipment. Climate control systems based on controllers and other automation are not just a step towards increasing the convenience of the owner of this economy. This is to a large extent a more accurate adjustment of the air, moisture and temperature control modes, as well as a means of increasing the energy efficiency of the equipment used. Rational use of energy resources is just one of the key factors in the development of control systems based on Arduino.