Glass Greenhouse Monitoring System: Smart Protected-Agriculture Solution

Summary

This article systematically elaborates on the technical architecture and functional implementation of the intelligent glass greenhouse monitoring system. System integration includes environmental monitoring, soil moisture, shading and ventilation, wet curtain cooling, water and fertilizer integration, and supplementary lighting regulationCO₂Eight subsystems, such as management and video monitoring, realize accurate perception, intelligent decision-making and automatic control of greenhouse environment through multi protocol communication network and edge computing technology. Supporting mobile phoneAPP, PCPlatform, monitoring screenLEDThe display screen and other multi terminal management interfaces support dual protection of remote control and on-site manual operation, providing a replicable and promotable factory planting mode for modern agriculture, significantly improving the quality and economic benefits of agricultural products.

1、 The development and application value of glass greenhouses

With the continuous promotion of infrastructure construction in facility agriculture in China and the increasing investment in efficient planting industry by the government, intelligent glass greenhouses have been widely used in agricultural production bases and demonstration parks. Glass greenhouse hasBeautiful appearance and high gradeThe visual advantage lies in the use of a fully steel frame structure design, which has strong resistance to wind and snow,The service life can reach25Over years old. Its internal operation space is large, supporting large-scale connected layout, suitable for carrying out factory and large-scale production operations, and can achieve fully automated management and monitoring.

There is a significant difference in application between the northern and southern regionsNorthern regionMainly used as a seedling greenhouse, soilless cultivation, high-end medicinal herb cultivation, flower cultivation, ecological restaurant, and tourism complex;Southern regionIt will be used as a greenhouse for year-round fruit and vegetable production. The high transparency of glass greenhouses provides sufficient light for crop growth, but also brings challenges such as overheating in summer and insulation in winter, and there is an urgent need for intelligent monitoring systems to achieve precise environmental control.

2、 Overall system architecture and supporting equipment

The intelligent glass greenhouse monitoring system is adoptedHierarchical distributed architectureIntegrate nine functional modules:Greenhouse environmental monitoring system, soil moisture monitoring system, shading system, ventilation management system, wet curtain cooling system, integrated water and fertilizer system, supplementary lighting systemCO₂Control system, video surveillance system.

The core supporting equipment includes:

• Environmental monitoring sensorsAir temperature and humidity, light intensityCO₂Concentration sensor (supporting wired485or wirelessLORAcommunication)
• Soil sensorSoil temperature and humidityPH, ECSensors, multi-point distributed deployment
• Execution agency: Internal and external sunshade motors, top/side ventilation windows, wet curtain water pump, fan, water fertilizer integrated machine, fill lightCO₂Generator
• Control coreIoT intelligent monitoring cabinet, built-inPLCLogic controller and edge computing module
• Display terminal: Mobile phoneAPP, PCMonitoring platform, monitoring center screen, on-siteLEDdisplay

The system achieves data aggregation and strategy distribution through the Juying Agricultural Cloud Platform, maximizing mechanization and intelligence, achieving replicability of agricultural production processes, and building a factory based planting economy model.

Suggested illustrationsSystem architecture diagram. Central core glass greenhouse3DThe model connects nine subsystems in a radial pattern around it, with each subsystem labeled with key equipment. The bottom is the "intelligent monitoring cabinet", which passes upwards4G/5G/WiFiConnect to the 'cloud platform'. The overall topology is star shaped, with a modern agricultural park aerial image as the background.

3、 Detailed explanation of the environmental monitoring subsystem

Greenhouse environmental monitoring adoptsIndustrial grade IoT sensorsThe key indicators include:

• Temperature range: -40℃~80℃Accuracy±0.5℃
• Humidity range: 0~100%RHAccuracy±3%
• Illuminance: 0-200000LuxAccuracy±5%
• CO₂Concentration: 0-5000ppmAccuracy±50ppm

Sensors are distributed in various monitoring areas inside the greenhouse, passing throughLORAWireless orRS485Wired communication with the monitoring cabinet, and real-time data transmission to the cloud platform.Data refresh rate of 3 seconds/time, storage frequency of 1 minute/timeForm a complete environmental database.

System support35Simultaneous monitoring of multiple nodesCovering different heights (canopy, middle layer, ground) and positions (south, north, center), providing data support for refined zoning regulation.

4、 Soil moisture monitoring and water fertilizer linkage

Soil moisture monitoring is the core basis and system configuration for precise irrigationThree types of sensors:

1. Soil temperature and humidity sensorMonitor the moisture content of the plow layer to prevent drought or waterlogging
2. SoilPHSensorsMonitor acidity and alkalinity, guide fertilizer ratio adjustment
3. SoilECSensorsMonitor conductivity to reflect salt content and fertility status

Sensor pressEvery500㎡Deploy 1 setThe standard distribution of data is linked through a water fertilizer integrated machine

• When the soil moisture is below the set threshold (e.g.), the solenoid valve will be automatically turned on for irrigation40%When
• Automatically adjust the ratio of fertilizer applicator when the value deviates from the suitable range of cropsPH/ECsupport
• Circular irrigationMode to avoid excessive irrigation in a single operationSystem implementation

24/7 uninterrupted monitoringData passed throughRemote transmission to the monitoring center database, providing scientific basis for soil quality protection and improvement.GPRS/4G5、 Sunshade and ventilation management system

Sunshade system

The key to cooling down glass greenhouses in summer is:External shading

• Using a black sunshade net that can blockSolar radiation reduces indoor temperature70-85%Internal shading3-5℃
• Adopting aluminum foil reflective screen, reflecting infrared rays at night in winter to reduce heat loss and save energyabove30%System based on

Outdoor illuminance sensorAnd withIndoor temperature and humidityAutomatic regulation:Summer illumination

• And temperature>50000LuxAutomatically expand>30℃Automatically close and keep warm at night during winter, adjust the opening according to lighting requirements during the day
• support
• Winter and summer timed modeRealize full automationVentilation management system

includeTop and side windowsThere are two ways:natural draft

• Using the principle of thermal pressure difference, the top window discharges hot air and the side window replenishes fresh airForced Ventilation
• Forced VentilationIn conjunction with the wet curtain system, the fan operates under negative pressure to achieve rapid ventilation

System supportAutomatically close windows on rainy days, Automatic locking on windy daysProtect the safety of greenhouse structures.

6、 Wet curtain cooling and integrated water and fertilizer system

Wet curtain cooling systemUtilizing the principle of water evaporation to absorb heat is an efficient cooling solution for summer:

• working principleThe water pump sends water to the top of the wet curtain, and the water flows down along the corrugated fiber surface. The fan extracts air under negative pressure, and when the hot air passes through the wet curtain, the water evaporates and absorbs heat, achieving a cooling efficiency of up to70-80%
• Linkage controlWhen the temperature>35℃And humidity<70%Automatically start when the temperature drops28℃Automatic stop
• Energy saving advantagesCompared to air conditioning cooling, energy consumption is reduced80%above

Integrated water and fertilizer systemRealize precise water and fertilizer management:

• Accurate ratioAccording to the soilEC/PHAutomatically adjust the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium based on the growth stage of crops
• Timed and quantifiedSupport multiple irrigation modes based on time, flow rate, and area
• Circulating filtrationConfigure sand and gravel filters and mesh filters to prevent clogging of drip irrigation belts

System supportManual buttons, touch screen, remoteAPPThree control methods to ensure flexibility and emergency capability.

7、 Supplement light andCO₂Control system

Supplementary lighting systemFor yield guarantee in seasons with insufficient sunlight:

• Light source selection: LEDPlant growth lamp (adjustable ratio of red and blue spectra), energy-saving60%above
• Intelligent controlAutomatically switch on/off based on the illuminance sensor and crop photoperiod requirements
• Time period setting: Can set the duration of supplementary lighting before sunrise and after sunset, supporting photoperiod control

CO₂Control systemImprove photosynthetic efficiency:

• Concentration target: Maintain800-1200ppm, can increase photosynthetic rate30-50%
• Regulatory methods: CO₂Generator or steel cylinder gas supply, linked with ventilation system to avoid waste
• safeguardWhen the concentration>2000ppmAutomatic alarm and start forced ventilation

The two systems work together,Automatic replenishment of light and increased application on rainy daysCO₂Ensure the sustained and efficient growth of crops.

8、 Video surveillance and multi terminal display system

Video monitoring systemRealize production visualization:

• Camera deploymentFull coverage of entrances and exits, key equipment areas, and crop growth areas
• Brand compatibilitySupport mainstream network camera access for Hikvision and Yingshi Cloud
• Functional integrationDisplay video images and environmental data separately on the monitoring interface, achieving dual verification of "data+video"

There are various monitoring display methods:

1. mobile phoneAPPRemote monitoring anytime, anywhere, supporting multi account management, flexible permission allocation
2. PCMonitoring platform: WEBSuitable for monitoring centers, it can display large screens, reduce interactive operations, and has a good demonstration effect
3. Monitoring center large screenClear view of real-time data and video images, suitable for centralized management at the park level
4. LEDdisplayHanging from high places outside or inside the greenhouse, dustproof and rainproof, with good demonstration display effect

All terminal dataMulti terminal synchronous refreshEnsure information consistency.

9、 Dual guarantee of remote control and on-site manual operation

System providedThree level control modeEnsure reliability and flexibility:

1. Remote control: Through mobile phonesAPPOr the computer monitoring platform can view real-time environmental data and manually control the on/off of equipment such as fans, wet curtains, skylights, and water pumps. supportBatch controlAnd withScheduled tasksSetting up and reducing manual management costs.

2. On site manual controlRetain traditional manual control methods for easy emergency management and patrol. The intelligent monitoring cabinet provides:

• 8Inch configuration screen touch control: Graphic interface, one click operation
• Manual button controlPhysical switches ensure reliable control in extreme situations
  The control range covers all controlled devices: valves, water pumps, skylights, wet curtains, roller blinds, fans, lighting, etc.

3. Automatic control processThe system is guided by crop production technology and is based onPLCIntelligent self-control function and IoT platform to achieve full growth stageUnmanned automatic control. The control strategy includes:

• Time triggeredSet seasonal patterns according to crop growth cycles
• Threshold triggeringAutomatic response to sensor data exceeding the limit
• Combinatorial logicMulti condition judgment to achieve complex processes

10、 Core functions of cloud platform management

1. Display of configuration scenariosThe platform dynamically displays every step of the water and fertilizer process through actual scenes, combining data with animation to create a vivid and realistic experience. Users can customize process drawings, upload on-site layouts, and achieve "digital twins".

2. Data recording and analysisAll environmental parameters and equipment status data are automatically stored for three years, with curves that can be zoomed in or out and support minute level accuracy queries, providing data support for process improvement.

3. Export data reportSupport generating reports on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, which can be exportedExcelFormat for easy archiving and analysis.

4. Centralized monitoring and management of equipment: GISThe map displays the location and status of all greenhouses, supports one click access to the single greenhouse monitoring interface, and achieves centralized management at the level of hundreds of greenhouses.

5. Intelligent alarm notificationWhen environmental parameters exceed limits, equipment malfunctions, or communication interruptions occur, pass throughAPPPush, WeChat official account, monitoring platform voice and other ways to actively notify the administrator, support multi-level alarm and responsible person allocation.

6. User permission managementSupport "one to many management" (one user manages multiple greenhouses) and "many to one collaboration" (multiple users manage one greenhouse), providing three levels of permissions for administrators, operators, and observers, with clear division of responsibilities.

11、 Reproducibility of Production Digital Models and Processes

The core objective of the system is to:Generate crop cultivation process filesTo achieve large-scale replication:

1. Data collection and accumulationRecord environmental data and water and fertilizer control parameters throughout the entire growth period of crops
2. Process model extractionExtract the optimal growth curve and control strategy through big data analysis
3. Standardized outputGenerate parameters including temperature, humidity, and lightingCO₂Process documents for water and fertilizer formula
4. Large scale promotionBatch distribute process documents to the new greenhouse and quickly replicate successful experiences

This model shifts agricultural production from "experience dependence" to "standard driven", significantly improving the speed of new park production and product consistency.

12、 Core advantages and implementation benefits of the system

Core advantages:

• Fully automatedFrom monitoring to control, the entire process is unmanned
• High reliability: IP68Triple guarantee of protection, offline operation with network disconnection, and manual backup
• The process can be replicatedRapid scaling up of digital models
• Flexible expansionModular design, nodes can be added at any time
• Multi terminal collaboration: Mobile phone/PC/Large screen/LEDReal time data synchronization

Implementation benefits:

• Increase production10-20%Optimal environmental control enhances photosynthetic efficiency
• Water and fertilizer conservation30-40%Precision irrigation and fertilization reduce waste
• Energy saving25-35%Intelligent shading and ventilation reduce energy consumption
• Reduced labor costs60%Remote centralized management reduces on-site personnel
• Reduced risk losses70%Real time warning to avoid extreme weather losses
• Investment return cycle2-3YearThe comprehensive benefits are significantly higher than those of traditional greenhouses