Patent Description:
The invention further relates to a method of determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment and a method of controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment.

The invention also relates to a computer program product enabling a computer system to perform such methods.

The world population is expected to grow from <NUM> billion now to <NUM> billion in <NUM>. Society is rapidly becoming predominantly urban. This will place major constraints on the availability of food and clean water. The space available for food production will become scarcer. Innovation in production methods is needed to deliver higher yields from smaller footprints, while becoming more sustainable (minimum use of energy and water).

Producing food in closed environments such as vertical farms is a method to meet these demands. In vertical farms (a. plant factories and city farms), food is grown in multiple layers, making much better use of the available space as compared to outdoor growth or growth in greenhouses. This implies that daylight will not be able to reach all plants and nearly all the light must come from artificial lighting. Horticulture lighting control systems are therefore becoming more and more advanced, just like horticulture climate control systems.

The optimal growth conditions (climate conditions and light conditions) are described in a so-called grow recipe or grow protocol. Traditionally, during the execution of such a grow recipe, the control of the climate is done separately from the control of the light. The benefit is that the producers of climate control systems and lighting control systems can optimize their systems based on their specific expertise and independent of each other.

An example of a method of controlling an artificial light plant growing system in which the control of the climate is not done totally separately from the control of the light is disclosed in <CIT>. The method disclosed in <CIT> includes receiving information indicative of a production demand for a plant type to be grown in the artificial light plant growing system and information indicative of an energy supply for a light source of the artificial light plant growing system, and controlling operation of the light source of a plant growing environment of the artificial light plant growing system in dependence on the received information so that the production rate of a plant of said plant type grown in the system versus the production demand and energy supply is optimized. In an embodiment, the level of CO2 in the plant growing environment is controlled based on the determined operation of the light source. A drawback of the method disclosed in <CIT> is that the synergy between multiple environmental parameters is only taken into account in a limited manner.

<CIT> discloses a method for controlling the growth of a plant, the plant being of a predetermined type and arranged in a controlled environment wherein the plant is subject to receiving illumination of a mixture of natural and artificial light. The document discloses the use of outdoor light and temperature forecasts (from weather forecast services), i.e. light and temperature conditions outside the controlled environment, to anticipate required needs of lighting and temperature control inside the controlled environment.

It is a first object of the invention to provide a system, which is able to facilitate simultaneous control of multiple environmental parameters such that the synergy between the environmental parameters is taken into account thoroughly.

It is a second object of the invention to provide a method, which is able to facilitate simultaneous control of multiple environmental parameters such that the synergy between the environmental parameters is taken into account thoroughly.

In a first aspect of the invention, a system for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment, comprises at least one communication interface and at least one processor configured to obtain one or more target values for said environmental condition, use said at least one communication interface to receive information relating to control of a further environmental condition in said plant growing environment, determine data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said further environmental condition on said environmental condition from said information, determine said at least one control parameter for said at least one device controlling said environmental condition based on said one or more target values and said data, and output or store said at least one control parameter. Said at least one control parameter may be stored in a memory of said system or of another system, for example.

By not just controlling the environmental condition in the plant growing environment based on a current (e.g. measured) value of a further environmental condition or a current control parameter for controlling this further environmental condition, but by (also) controlling the environmental conditional based on an anticipated influence of control of the further environmental condition on the environmental condition, it may be ensured that controlling the two environmental conditions simultaneously has the desired result, thereby saving/minimizing cost while optimizing plant growth. For example, if continued use of certain lamps (slowly) increases the temperature of the environment, the heat setting of a heater may be lowered prior to changing the light settings to prevent that an air-conditioning unit needs to be activated later to remove some of the heat.

The system may be used to grow vegetables and fruits in vertical farms or greenhouses, for example. Said at least one device may comprise a plurality of devices and/or said at least one control parameter may comprise a plurality of control parameters for controlling said at least one device during a control period. Said control period may be a future control period, for example. Said at least one processor may be configured to use said at least one communication interface to control said at least one device according to said at least one control parameter.

Said information may be received from a further system. Said system may be a climate control system or a plant growth control system and said further system may be a lighting control system, for example.

Said at least one processor may be configured to obtain a grow protocol for growing a plant, said grow protocol comprising said one or more target values, each of a plurality of growth stages being associated with at least one of said one or more target values. A grower may be able to select a grow protocol from a database and let one or more horticultural systems use the selected grow protocol to determine control parameters for devices that are able to affect environmental conditions based on the specified target values. The grow protocol may specify target values for light spectrum, nutrition conditions and climate conditions (e.g. CO2 and temperature) per growth stage, for example. A grow protocol is also referred to as a grow recipe in this description.

Said environmental condition may comprise temperature and said further environmental condition may comprise lighting, for example. In this case, said information may comprise, for example, a profile representing expected heat dissipation (e.g. thermal load in Watt) and/or expected temperature increase (e.g. in degrees Celsius), typically linked to an expected illumination output or expected lighting control parameters. For example, said at least one processor may be configured to determine an anticipated temperature variation from said information, subtract said anticipated temperature variation from said one or more target values for said temperature and determine said at least one control parameter based on a result of said subtraction.

Alternatively, said environmental condition may comprise lighting and said further environmental condition may comprise temperature, for example. As a first example, said at least one device may comprise at least one lighting device which comprises at least one component for cooling and/or heating and said information may comprise a profile representing anticipated environmental temperature variations. Said at least one processor may be configured to determine said at least one control parameter for said at least one lighting device so as to adjust said cooling and/or heating in dependence on said anticipated environmental temperature variations exceeding a threshold amount.

When the anticipated environmental temperature variations exceed the threshold amount, this may cause condensation (which may be undesired). This may be prevented by having the at least one component adjust the cooling and/or heating. Said anticipated environmental temperatures may be determined by a climate control system based on how fast or slow it increases or decreases temperature to achieve desired temperatures.

As a second example, said at least one device may comprise at least one lighting device, said information may comprise a profile representing anticipated environmental temperature variations, and said at least one processor may be configured to control said at least one lighting device to render light with a higher or lower output level than specified in said target values in dependence on said anticipated environmental temperature variations exceeding a threshold amount. These variations may be increases exceeding the threshold and/or decreases exceeding the threshold. This may be beneficial for lighting devices that do not comprise an active component for cooling and/or heating. By using a higher output level than specified, additional heat may be generated to prevent condensation. For instance, if a lamp should normally be turned off but a burst of heat is expected from a heating system at a certain time (according to the grow protocol), it may be kept on at a low level to have its circuitry generate some heat before the burst of heat arrives. Preferably, the output level is not much higher than specified in the target values in order to prevent wasting light/energy.

In case said at least one device comprises at least one lighting device, it may be beneficial for said at least one processor to be configured to control said at least one lighting device to render light with a lower output level at a certain moment than specified in said desired target values in dependence on an expected or measured environmental temperature being below a minimum amount at said certain moment. If the environmental temperature is below the minimum amount, the plants may no longer be able to grow and rendering light would be a waste of energy/money in that case.

Said at least one processor may be further configured to use said at least one communication interface to obtain electricity cost and/or demand information and determine said at least one control parameter further based on said electricity cost and/or demand information. By taking electricity cost and/or market demand into account on top of the environmental conditions, further costs may be saved.

In a second aspect of the invention, a system for controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment, comprises at least one communication interface; and at least one processor configured to use said at least one communication interface to receive one or more target values for said environmental condition, determine information from said one or more target values, said information comprising data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said environmental condition on a further environmental condition, use said at least one communication interface to transmit said information, and control said environmental condition based on said one or more target values.

The system that controls an environmental condition is typically the best source for information on how the control of the environmental condition is anticipated to influence a further environmental condition, e.g. how much heat the system dissipates to render a certain lighting spectrum.

In a third aspect of the invention, a method of determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment, comprises obtaining one or more target values for said environmental condition, receiving information relating to control of a further environmental condition in said plant growing environment, determining data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said further environmental condition on said environmental condition from said information, determining said at least one control parameter for said at least one device controlling said environmental condition based on said one or more target values and said data, and outputting or storing said at least one control parameter. Said method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. This software may be provided as a computer program product.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment, comprises receiving one or more target values for said environmental condition, determining information from said one or more target values, said information comprising data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said environmental condition on a further environmental condition, transmitting said information, and controlling said environmental condition based on said one or more target values. Said method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. This software may be provided as a computer program product.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a first software code portion, the software code portion, when executed or processed by a computer, being configured to perform executable operations for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment.

The executable operations comprise obtaining one or more target values for said environmental condition, receiving information relating to control of a further environmental condition in said plant growing environment, determining data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said further environmental condition on said environmental condition from said information, determining said at least one control parameter for said at least one device controlling said environmental condition based on said one or more target values and said data, and outputting or storing said at least one control parameter.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a second software code portion, the software code portion, when executed or processed by a computer, being configured to perform executable operations for controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment which comprise receiving one or more target values for said environmental condition, determining information from said one or more target values, said information comprising data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said environmental condition on a further environmental condition, transmitting said information, and controlling said environmental condition based on said one or more target values.

As used herein, the term "anticipated influence" refers to the effect that the controlling of a first environmental condition (e.g. temperature, light, CO<NUM>, humidy, irrigation, etc.) with a first control system has on a second environmental condition (e.g. temperature, light, CO<NUM>, humidy, irrigation, etc.) controlled with a second control system. Typically, the first control system is different from the second control system and the first environmental condition is a different physical property/characteristic of the environment than the second environmental condition. An anticipated influence is generally a side-effect resulting from controlling a first environmental condition, which side-effect is anticipated to influence a second environmental condition, e.g. a side-effect of increasing the illumination ouput of light sources is an increased heat dissipation by the lighting system from which an anticipated increase in temperature of the environment is to be expected. The term "anticipated" refers to expected to happen, foreseeable. An anticipated influence can therefore also be explained as an expected or foreseeable (future) effect.

<FIG> shows a first embodiment of the system for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment. <FIG> further shows a first embodiment of the system for controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment.

In vertical farms (or green houses), plants are grown in a very well-controlled environment. The climate (temperature, humidity, CO2 level) is optimal for growth and controlled by a climate control system. This also holds for the light conditions offered to the plants (light intensity, spectrum, and their dependence on the time of day and growth stage of the plant). The light conditions are controlled by a lighting control system.

The optimal growth conditions (typically climate conditions and light conditions) are described by a so-called grow protocol (typically comprising a climate recipe and a light recipe). Traditionally, during the execution of such a grow protocol, the control of the climate is done separately from the control of the light. The drawback is that there is no benefit from the synergy that is possible when the two systems can communicate information about their system settings.

In the example of <FIG>, the plant growing environment comprises a vertical farm <NUM> of one rack with three layers <NUM>-<NUM>. Each of the layers <NUM>-<NUM> comprises two segments. Layer <NUM> comprises two LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> (one per segment) and a light sensor <NUM>. Layer <NUM> comprises two LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> (one per segment) and a light sensor <NUM>. Layer <NUM> comprises two LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> (one per segment) and a light sensor <NUM>.

The vertical farm <NUM> further comprises two climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM> and a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system <NUM>. In <FIG>, HVAC system <NUM> is depicted centrally in the vertical farm <NUM>. However, parts of the HVAC system <NUM> may be located on each of layers <NUM>-<NUM>, e.g. in order to provide ventilation to the plants. The climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM> may comprise a temperature sensor and a CO2 sensor, for example.

The LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> are controlled by a light control computer <NUM>. The light control computer <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to use the receiver <NUM> to receive sensor data from the light sensors <NUM>-<NUM>, e.g. to adjust for light coming from other light sources like the sun.

The HVAC system <NUM> is controlled by a climate control computer <NUM>. The climate control computer <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to use the receiver <NUM> to receive sensor data from climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM>, e.g. to increase heating or cooling if the measured temperature has become, respectively, lower or higher than desired. The climate control computer <NUM> may also control provision of water and nutrients to the plants, e.g. via pipes (not shown).

In a first variant of this first embodiment, the processor <NUM> of the light control computer <NUM> is configured to use the receiver <NUM> to receive one or more target values for the lighting condition, e.g. from a server (not shown) or from the climate control computer <NUM>, and determine information from the one or more target values. This information comprises data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the lighting condition on the temperature.

The information may comprise a profile representing expected heat dissipation (e.g. in Watt) and/or expected temperature increase (e.g. in degrees Celsius), for example. The processor <NUM> is further configured to use the transmitter <NUM> to transmit the information to the climate control computer <NUM> and use the transmitter <NUM> to control the lighting condition (via the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM>) based on the one or more target values.

In this first variant, the processor <NUM> of the climate control computer <NUM> is configured to obtain one or more target values for the temperature, e.g. stored in the memory <NUM> or on a server (not shown), use the receiver <NUM> to receive the information (relating to control of the lighting condition in the plant growing environment) from the light control computer <NUM>, determine data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the lighting condition on the temperature from the information, determine at least one control parameter for HVAC system <NUM> based on the one or more target values and the data, and control the HVAC system <NUM> according to the at least one control parameter.

The processor <NUM> and/or the processor <NUM> may be configured to obtain the target values by obtaining a grow protocol for growing a plant. The grow protocol comprises the one or more target values and each of a plurality of growth stages is associated with at least one of the one or more target values.

Thus, a vertical farm (or greenhouse) has a climate control system for controlling climate conditions and a lighting control system for controlling lighting conditions such as to grow plants in an optimal manner by providing growth conditions (including climate conditions and lighting conditions) as defined by a grow protocol (which comprises a climate recipe and a light recipe).

Next to producing light, the lighting control system also produces heat, heating up the climate cell, e.g. in a vertical farm, in which the plants are located. The climate control system is needed to remove this heat. The climate cell and its components (e.g. racks, growth layers, irrigation water, air, plants, etc.) have a certain heat capacity and heat transfer coefficient. This makes that it takes a certain time before the climate in the climate cell is fully adapted to a change in a climate setpoint (i.e. target value).

In case the climate control system has no information as to when the lighting is going to be switched on, it cannot anticipate future heat removal needs and will therefore always lag in realizing the climate setpoints. Similarly, the climate control system cannot anticipate future energy consumption. The lighting control system therefore communicates present and future heat load and energy consumption to the climate control system. The climate control system uses this information to anticipate changes in heat load and energy consumption to optimally realize the settings as defined by the climate recipe.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the lighting control system consists of the local light control computer <NUM> and the climate control system consists of the local climate control computer <NUM>. Typically, the light control and climate control functions are controlled by separate software applications that communicate via an application program interface (API). The climate control system and the lighting control system may have a master-slave relation and if so, may negotiate who is master and who is slave.

Furthermore, the light control computer <NUM> may use the electricity price or electricity demand-response information to adjust the lighting conditions in the light recipe to obtain the best trade-off between cost (of energy) and crop production (e.g. by changing the daily light period and light level such that the daily light integral is not affected) and may reflect this adjustment in the information it transmits to the climate control computer <NUM>.

In this first variant, the processor <NUM> is configured to determine an anticipated temperature variation from the information, subtract the anticipated temperature variation from the one or more target values for the temperature and determine the at least one control parameter based on a result of the subtraction. The determined at least one control parameter typically comprises a plurality of control parameters for controlling the HVAC system <NUM> during a future control period, but alternatively, one control parameter may be determined at a time, to be used immediately.

Consider, for example, a situation in which a vertical farm or greenhouse needs to be heated to reach a certain desired setpoint temperature (for example during wintertime) for optimum plant growth. The typical time Δτ it takes to realize a temperature setpoint change (a change by an amount ΔT) in the air temperature in the vertical farm or greenhouse, is given by the following equation: <MAT>.

Here, P (or QHVAC/dt) denotes the heat power transferred to the air by the HVAC system <NUM> (in J/s). Qloss (in Joules) is the heat loss (or gain) through the ceiling (e.g. via opening of the windows), the side walls and the floor of the vertical farm or greenhouse, and via radiation. Qlamps (in Joules) is the heat transferred to the air via the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> (other heat sources are neglected). m is the mass of the air in the vertical farm or greenhouse to be heated (in kg, and proportional to the volume of the vertical farm or greenhouse), and c is the heat capacity of air (approximately <NUM> kJ/kg/K at room temperature).

If the temperature needs to be kept stable, the heat power P that needs to be transferred to the air to keep the air temperature stable (i.e. to keep dTair/dt = <NUM>) depends on the heat losses Qloss as well as the heat Qlamps transferred to the air by the lighting control system (note that a negative value of P implies cooling instead of heating). If the temperature needs to be increased or decreased, the time it takes to reach a setpoint depends on the heat power P provided by the HVAC system, the heat loss dQloss/dt (depending for example on the difference between the air temperature inside and air temperature outside the vertical farm or greenhouse), and the heat power provided by the lamps (dQlamps/dt). This implies that the time constant will depend on the dimming level of the lighting system.

The heat Qlamps transferred to the air by the lighting system may follow the following relation: <MAT>.

L(t) is the dimming level of the lamps at time t (the dimming level being a value between <NUM> (= lamps off) and <NUM> (=lamps fully on)). In equation <NUM>, a is a constant. It is clear from Equations <NUM> and <NUM> how the dimming level L(t) may influence the air temperature in a vertical farm or greenhouse, including the corresponding time constants.

L(t) may be determined based on the light recipe. The climate control computer <NUM> may obtain the light recipe from the light control computer <NUM> or from a server, e.g. as part of a grow protocol, and may further obtain information describing the relation between Qlamps(t) and L(t) from the light control computer <NUM> or from a server. The climate control computer <NUM> may then determine Qlamps(t) based on L(t) using the relation described in this obtained information. The climate control computer <NUM> may then determine the required P based on a target Δτ and target ΔT, determined based on the climate recipe, and based on Qlamps(t) and Qloss(t). The target ΔT may be determined based on both the climate recipe and a temperature reading of one of the climate sensors <NUM> and <NUM>.

Instead of the climate control computer <NUM> determining Qlamps(t) itself, the climate control computer <NUM> may obtain values for Qlamps(t) from the light control computer <NUM>. This is especially beneficial if the relation between Qlamps(t) and L(t) is complex and/or requires knowledge of parameter values stored in the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> and/or in the light control computer <NUM>. Without knowing Qlamps(t), the climate control computer <NUM> would not be able to anticipate the amount of heat power required to achieve a desired temperature setpoint at a desired time. Instead of sharing values of Qlamps(t), the light control computer <NUM> might share the corresponding anticipated heat dissipation (e.g. in Watt).

In this first variant of the first embodiment, the HVAC system <NUM> was used to control the temperature based on an anticipated influence of the control of the lighting condition on the temperature. Similarly, the HVAC system <NUM> may control other climate conditions based on an anticipated influence of the control of the lighting condition on these other climate conditions. Examples of other climate conditions are humidity and CO2 concentration. For example, switching on the lighting might increase the temperature to a point where it is needed to open the windows, allowing humidity to increase or decrease and CO2 to escape, which has to be anticipated or counteracted by the HVAC system <NUM>.

In a second variant of this first embodiment, the processor <NUM> of the climate control computer <NUM> is configured to use the receiver <NUM> to receive one or more target values for the climate conditions (including the temperature), e.g. from a server (not shown) or from the light control computer <NUM>, and determine information from the one or more target values. The information comprises data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the temperature on the lighting condition. The processor <NUM> is further configured to use the transmitter <NUM> to transmit the information to the light control computer <NUM> and use the transmitter <NUM> to control the temperature (via the HVAC system <NUM>) based on the one or more target values.

In this second variant, the processor <NUM> of the light control computer <NUM> is configured to obtain one or more target values for the lighting condition, e.g. stored in the memory <NUM> or on a server (not shown), use the receiver <NUM> to receive information relating to control of the temperature in the plant growing environment from the climate control computer <NUM>, determine data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the temperature on the lighting condition from the information, determine at least one control parameter for the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> based on the one or more target values and the data, and control the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> according to the at least one control parameter.

In this second variant, if at least one of the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> comprises at least one component for cooling and/or heating and the received information comprises a profile representing anticipated environmental temperature variations, the processor <NUM> may be able to determine the at least one control parameter for this LED module/these LED modules so as to adjust the cooling and/or heating in dependence on the anticipated environmental temperature variations exceeding a threshold amount (in order to prevent condensation due to rapid temperature changes).

In this second variant, the processor <NUM> of the light control computer <NUM> may be configured to control one or more of the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> to render light with a lower output level at a certain moment than specified in the light recipe in dependence on the (measured or expected) environmental temperature being below a minimum amount at the certain moment.

Typically, a grower follows a certain light recipe to grow crops such as tomato in a vertical farm or greenhouse. In a simple version of such a light recipe, the lighting is switched on when the daylight level is below a certain threshold and switched on when it is above a certain threshold. In a more advanced light recipe, the light is dimmed to the most optimum level at all times, taking as input a desired daily light integral in combination with past and forecasted daylight levels, among others.

The optimum light recipe is typically dependent on climate conditions such as temperature, because the rate of photosynthesis is, in good approximation, proportional to the rate of biomass increase and the light-use-efficiency (i.e. the ratio of the rate of photosynthesis and the light level to achieve this rate of photosynthesis) is dependent on temperature. The higher the temperature, the higher the light level needs to be to achieve a high light-use-efficiency. For example, at a temperature of <NUM>, a light level of <NUM>µmol/m<NUM>/s will result in the highest light-use-efficiency.

If the light control computer <NUM> can obtain measured or expected environmental temperatures, e.g. an anticipated temperature profile received from the climate control computer <NUM>, the light control computer <NUM> can adapt the rendered light, e.g. the light recipe, to the measured or expected environmental temperatures to achieve an optimal light-use-efficiency. As a result, the light control computer <NUM> will be able to decrease the light level at times during the day that the air temperature is relatively low and catch up by increasing the light level at times that the air temperature is relatively high. The lighting will therefore not be applied sub-optimally (in terms of growth efficiency, energy efficiency and, as a result, cost).

In the embodiment of <FIG>, vertical farm <NUM> comprises three light sensors <NUM>-<NUM> transmitting data to the light control computer <NUM> and two climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM> transmitting data to the climate control computer <NUM>. The light control computer <NUM> may use a detected light level as perceived by the plants (in practice this level can change appreciably during the growth of the plants) to determine how much artificial light is required to achieve the target values for the lighting. The climate control computer <NUM> may use a detected temperature to determine how much heating or cooling is required to achieve the target values for the temperature.

However, the light control computer <NUM> and the climate control computer <NUM> may also communicate sensor readings. For example, if the light sensors <NUM>-<NUM> would be part of the climate control system and transmit data to the climate control computer <NUM> instead of to the light control computer <NUM>, the climate control computer <NUM> might then communicate the sensor readings to the light control computer <NUM>.

In the embodiment of the computers <NUM> and <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the computer <NUM> comprises one processor <NUM> and the computer <NUM> comprises one processor <NUM>. In an alternative embodiment, the computer <NUM> and/or the computer <NUM> comprises multiple processors. The processor <NUM> and the processor <NUM> may be a general-purpose processor, e.g. from Intel or AMD, or an application-specific processor. The processor <NUM> and the processor <NUM> may run a Windows or Unix-based operating system for example. The memory <NUM> and the memory <NUM> may comprise one or more memory units. The memory <NUM> and the memory <NUM> may comprise one or more hard disks and/or solid-state memory, for example. The memory <NUM> and the memory <NUM> may be used to store an operating system, applications and application data, for example.

The receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> may use one or more wired and/or wireless communication technologies to communicate with the climate computer <NUM>, the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> and the light sensors <NUM>-<NUM>, for example. The receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> may use one or more wired and/or wireless communication technologies to communicate with the light control computer <NUM>, the HVAC system <NUM> and the climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM>, for example.

In an alternative embodiment, multiple receivers and/or multiple transmitters are used in light control computer <NUM> and/or in climate control computer <NUM> instead of a single receiver and a single transmitter. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, separate receivers and separate transmitters are used. In an alternative embodiment, the receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> are combined into a transceiver and/or the receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> are combined into a transceiver. The computer <NUM> and the computer <NUM> may comprise other components typical for a computer such as a power connector and a display. The invention may be implemented using a computer program running on one or more processors.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the systems of the invention are computers. In an alternative embodiment, the systems of the invention may be difference devices. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the system of the invention comprises a single device. In an alternative embodiment, the system of the invention comprises a plurality of devices. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the systems are used in a vertical farm. Alternatively, the systems may be used in a greenhouse, for example. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the computers <NUM> and <NUM> use transmitters to control components in the vertical farm. In an alternative embodiment, the computers <NUM> and <NUM> use only analog wires to control the components in the vertical farm.

<FIG> shows a second embodiment of the system for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment: Internet server <NUM>. Internet server <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and memory <NUM>. The Internet server <NUM> is connected to the Internet <NUM>. A light control computer <NUM> and a climate control computer <NUM> are connected to the Internet <NUM> as well, e.g. via a wireless LAN access point or a cellular communication network.

In a first variant of this second embodiment, the processor <NUM> of the Internet server <NUM> is configured to obtain one or more target values for the temperature, e.g. stored in the memory <NUM> in a grow protocol, obtain information relating to control of a lighting condition in the plant growing environment from the memory <NUM> or from the light control computer <NUM> (using receiver <NUM>), determine data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the lighting condition on the temperature from the information, determine at least one control parameter for HVAC system <NUM> based on the one or more target values and the data, and control the HVAC system <NUM> according to the at least one control parameter via the climate control computer <NUM>.

In this first variant, the processor <NUM> of the Internet server <NUM> is further configured to obtain one or more further target values for the lighting condition, e.g. stored in the memory <NUM> in the grow protocol, determine at least one further control parameter for the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> based on the one or more target values, and control the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> according to the at least one further control parameter via the light control computer <NUM>.

In a second variant of this second embodiment, the processor <NUM> is not configured to control the HVAC system <NUM> and the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM>, but it transmits the at least one control parameter to the climate control computer <NUM> and transmits the at least one further control parameter to the light control computer <NUM>. Whenever the grow protocol is started, the climate control system <NUM> can then control the HVAC system <NUM> according the received at least one control parameter and the light control computer <NUM> can then control the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> according to the received at least one further control parameter.

In this second variant, the control parameters are determined from the target values, e.g. from the grow protocol, in advance/offline, e.g. just before the start of the grow protocol. This may be beneficial, for example, when environmental conditions are not affected by outside influences or are only affected to a small degree by outside influences, e.g. when plants are grown in a vertical farm without windows in a building with a stable temperature. In this case, it may also be possible to omit climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM> and light sensors <NUM>-<NUM>.

It may also be possible to use this second variant in a greenhouse. For greenhouse horticulture, climate and lighting control needs depend a lot on the weather outside. It is possible to determine the control parameters based on forecasts (e.g. weather forecast in the case of greenhouse horticulture) and not on sensor measurements. However, a forecast (e.g. with parameters such as solar radiation and temperature) will be valid only for a limited time span. By determining the control parameters offline just before the start of the grow protocol, the forecast is still relatively reliable. ΔT, and perhaps Qloss, of Equation (<NUM>) may be determined based on this forecast and the target values instead of based on sensor measurements and the target values.

It may also be beneficial to combine the first and second variants. The advantage of this combination is that the system can function autonomously for the duration of the remainder of the climate or light recipe in case a connection to the cloud is lost. Thus, the Internet sever <NUM> would control the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> and the HVAC system <NUM> until a connection to the cloud is lost, at which time the light control computer <NUM> and the climate control computer <NUM> will take over.

In a third variant of this second embodiment, the processor <NUM> of the Internet server <NUM> is configured to obtain one or more target values for the lighting condition, e.g. stored in the memory <NUM> in a grow protocol, obtain information relating to control of the temperature in the plant growing environment from the memory <NUM> or from the climate control computer <NUM> (using receiver <NUM>), determine data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the temperature on the lighting condition from the information, determine at least one control parameter for the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> based on the one or more target values and the data, and control the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> according to the at least one control parameter via the light control computer <NUM>.

In this third variant, the processor <NUM> of the Internet server <NUM> is further configured to obtain one or more further target values for the temperature, e.g. stored in the memory <NUM> in a grow protocol, determine at least one further control parameter for the HVAC system <NUM> based on the one or more target values, and control the HVAC system <NUM> according to the at least one further control parameter via the climate control computer <NUM>.

In a fourth variant of this second embodiment, the processor <NUM> is not configured to control the HVAC system <NUM> and the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM>, but it transmits the at least one control parameter to the light control computer <NUM> and transmits the at least one further control parameter to the climate control computer <NUM>. Whenever the grow protocol is started, the light control computer <NUM> can then control the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> according to the received at least one control parameter and the climate control system <NUM> can then control the HVAC system <NUM> according the received at least one further control parameter.

In the embodiment of the server <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the server <NUM> comprises one processor <NUM>. In an alternative embodiment, the server <NUM> comprises multiple processors. The processor <NUM> of the server <NUM> may be a general-purpose processor, e.g. from Intel or AMD, or an application-specific processor. The processor <NUM> of the server <NUM> may run a Windows or Unix-based operating system for example. The memory <NUM> may comprise one or more memory units. The memory <NUM> may comprise one or more hard disks and/or solid-state memory, for example. The memory <NUM> may be used to store an operating system, applications and application data, for example.

The receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> may use one or more wired and/or wireless communication technologies such as Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi (IEEE <NUM>) to communicate with an access point to the Internet <NUM>, for example. In an alternative embodiment, multiple receivers and/or multiple transmitters are used instead of a single receiver and a single transmitter. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, a separate receiver and a separate transmitter are used. In an alternative embodiment, the receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> are combined into a transceiver. The server <NUM> may comprise other components typical for a server such as a power connector and a display. The invention may be implemented using a server program running on one or more processors.

<FIG> shows a third embodiment of the system for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment. In this third embodiment, the light control computer <NUM> and the climate control computer <NUM> have been combined into one light and climate control computer <NUM>. The light and climate control computer <NUM> may execute a first software application for light control and a second software application for climate control or a single software application both light and climate control, for example.

<FIG> shows a fourth embodiment of the system for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment. In <FIG>, a light control server <NUM> and a climate control server <NUM> are connected to the Internet <NUM>. The light control server <NUM> is configured in a similar manner as the light control computer <NUM> of <FIG>, except that the light control server <NUM> controls the LED modules <NUM>-<NUM> and receives sensor data from the light sensors <NUM>-<NUM> via the light and climate control computer <NUM>.

The climate control server <NUM> is configured in a similar manner as the climate control computer <NUM> of <FIG>, except that the climate control server <NUM> controls the HVAC system <NUM> and receives sensor data from the climate sensors <NUM>-<NUM> via the light and climate control computer <NUM>. In the fourth embodiment, the light control server <NUM> and the climate control server <NUM> communicate with each other in order to share information, e.g. via a network API. Alternatively, or as backup, information may be shared in the application or between the applications executing on light and climate control computer <NUM>, e.g. via a local API.

The light control server <NUM> may be a cloud server that runs a remote light control application and the climate control server <NUM> may be a cloud server that runs a remote climate control application, for example. The servers <NUM> and <NUM> may be operated by the same cloud service provider, for example. The light control application running on the light control server <NUM> and the climate control application running on the climate control server <NUM> may originate from different companies or from the same company.

The light control server <NUM> and/or the climate control server <NUM> may also obtain third party information from the Internet (e.g. weather forecasts, daylight radiation forecasts, cost of energy). One of the servers <NUM> and <NUM> may obtain third party information and share it with the other of the servers <NUM> and <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a fifth embodiment of the system for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment. The fifth embodiment is a variant on the fourth embodiment of <FIG>. In the fifth embodiment, a separate light control computer <NUM> and a separate climate control computer <NUM> are used, see also <FIG>, instead of the light and climate control computer <NUM>. The light control computer <NUM> and the climate control computer <NUM> may be able to communicate, e.g. if the light control server <NUM> and the climate control server <NUM> are not able to communicate.

<FIG> shows an example of a grow protocol that comprises a light recipe and a climate recipe. The light recipe indicates a red-light level <NUM> and a blue-light level <NUM> over time. The climate recipe indicates a temperature <NUM> over time.

A first embodiment of the method of determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment is shown in <FIG>. A step <NUM> comprises obtaining one or more target values for the environmental condition. A step <NUM> comprises receiving information relating to control of a further environmental condition in the plant growing environment. A step <NUM> comprises obtaining electricity cost and/or demand information. Step <NUM> is performed before step <NUM>, after step <NUM>, simultaneously with step <NUM> and/or step <NUM>, or between steps <NUM> and <NUM>.

A step <NUM> comprises determining data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the further environmental condition on the environmental condition from the information received in step <NUM>. A step <NUM> comprises determining the at least one control parameter for the at least one device controlling the environmental condition based on the one or more target values and the data.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is implemented in a step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining the at least one control parameter for the at least one device controlling the environmental condition based on the one or more target values, the data and the electricity cost and/or demand information (received in step <NUM>). A step <NUM> comprises outputting or storing the at least one control parameter.

Step <NUM> makes it possible to anticipate on electricity needs and thereby enable purchasing electricity when prices are low or selling electricity when prices are high, to comply with boundary conditions as agreed with or defined by the utility company or government, and/or to distribute the electricity consumption to comply with demand-supply constraints. This may be beneficial for both a lighting control system and a climate control system, for example.

As a first example, a climate control system may communicate to the lighting control system when electricity prices are low/high in order for the lighting control system to decide on how to optimize the lighting to comply with demand-supply constraints or to balance the cost of energy and plant production. As a second example, a climate control system may communicate to the lighting control system when production demand is low/high or expected to be low/high in order for the lighting control system to deviate from the light recipe and adapt the lighting conditions to lower/increase the production in concert with the climate control system adapting the climate.

A second embodiment of the method of determining at least one control parameter for at least one device controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment is shown in <FIG>, being performed by a first system. The at least one control parameter may comprise a plurality of control parameters for controlling the at least one device during a (e.g. future) control period. The at least one device may comprise a plurality of devices. <FIG> also shows a first embodiment of the method of controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment, being performed by a second system.

A step <NUM> comprises the second system receiving one or more target values for environmental condition B. A step <NUM> comprises the second system determining information from the one or more target values. The information comprises data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the environmental condition B on environmental condition A. A step <NUM> comprises the second system transmitting the information to the first system.

Step <NUM> comprises the first system receiving the information from the second system. Step <NUM> comprises the first system determining data which represent an anticipated influence of the control of the environmental condition B on the environmental condition A from the information.

Step <NUM> comprises the first system obtaining one or more target values for environmental condition A. Step <NUM> comprises the first system determining the at least one control parameter for the at least one device controlling the environmental condition A based on the one or more target values obtained in step <NUM> and the data determined in step <NUM>. In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> of <FIG> is implemented in a step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises controlling the at least one device according to the at least one control parameter. A step <NUM> comprises the second system controlling the environmental condition B based on the one or more target values.

The first system and the second system are part of a control system. The control system may comprise a climate control system for controlling climate parameters and a lighting control system for controlling lighting parameters, for example. Both the climate control system and the lighting control system typically comprise a computer in combination with sensors, a software application, and actuators (to adjust the climate conditions and lighting conditions, respectively). On the climate control system, a climate recipe is executed. On the lighting control system, a light recipe is executed. The climate recipe and the light recipe may be stored in a grow protocol.

For example, the first system may be the climate control system, the second system may be the lighting control system and the climate control system may use the information received from the lighting control system to anticipate on climate control needs and thereby being able to more closely follow the climate recipe for optimal plant growth. For instance, the lighting control system may have very accurate information on how the heat load produced by LED lighting modules depends on the lighting settings (typically, modules with <NUM> dimmable color channels would be used). The same holds for the power consumption.

The lighting control system may also receive information from the climate control system, e.g. to allow it to combine the climate recipe with the light recipe and distill from this information the best possible light setting.

The climate recipe may conflict with the light recipe, e.g. because they originate from different companies. For example, according to the climate recipe the CO2 setpoint may be low while at the same time according to the light recipe the light setpoint may be high: this makes no sense since the light will be wasted. In this situation, the lighting control system may decide to deviate from the light recipe and lower the light level or communicate to the climate control system a conflict, or vice versa.

To avoid conflicts, when the climate control system decides to deviate from the climate recipe for some reason, it is desired to timely communicate this deviation to the lighting control system so the lighting control system can adapt, and vice versa. Preferably, care is taken to avoid unstable behavior in such coupled control systems, e.g. by appointing who is master and who is slave.

Next to climate and light, also fertigation conditions, logistics, etc. may be part of a grow protocol. The first system or the second system may be a fertigation control system or a logistics system, for example.

<FIG> depicts a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may perform the method as described with reference to <FIG> an <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) for determining at least one control parameter for at least one device (<NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>) controlling an environmental condition in a plant growing environment, said system (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) comprising:
at least one communication interface (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>); and
at least one processor (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) configured to:
- obtain one or more target values for said environmental condition,
- use said at least one communication interface (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) to receive information relating to control of a further environmental condition in said plant growing environment, wherein said further environmental condition relates to a different physical property of the environment than said environmental condition,
- determine, from said information, data which represent an anticipated influence of said control of said further environmental condition on said environmental condition, wherein said anticipated influence relates to a side-effect resulting from controlling said further environmental condition, which side-effect is anticipated to influence said environmental condition,
- determine said at least one control parameter for said at least one device (<NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>) controlling said environmental condition based on said one or more target values and said data, and
- output or store said at least one control parameter.