KR101690375B1 - Controlling apparatus for agricultural products drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control device for agricultural produce dryer. According to the present invention, the control device includes a first control unit for controlling the operation of the agricultural produce dryer, and a second control unit connected via a communication network and controlling the operation of the agricultural produce dryer. The first control unit includes a sensor unit having various sensors, a touch panel that displays information sensed by the sensor and information generated during a drying operation, and inputs information for a drying operation, An error detector for detecting an error of information input through the touch panel, a program related to driving of the agricultural product dryer, image information on various agricultural products, various parameter information corresponding thereto, and a remote control program And the second control unit is provided with a smart device and a PC. According to the present invention, the user can easily use the agricultural product dryer, minimize the occurrence probability and frequency of malfunction, and can save time and money by enabling remote control / management / diagnosis, Can be controlled more precisely.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a control device for agricultural product driers,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural product dryer, and more particularly, to a control device for an agricultural product dryer, which can control the operation of an agricultural product dryer and collect various data using a graphic display and a touch control system.

Generally, harvested agricultural products are dried by conventional methods and drying methods using agricultural products dryer. Among them, the conventional method is a method of drying in a natural state exposed to the sunlight to maintain excellent quality, which is advantageous in that it is excellent in merchantability and can receive a high price, but there is a problem in terms of utilization of climate and space. On the other hand, the drying method using the agricultural product dryer has an advantage that various agricultural products can be dried while supplementing the drawbacks of the conventional method. For this reason, agricultural dryers have been widely used in order to improve storage properties by drying various kinds of agricultural products such as grain and pepper, and to improve taste and aroma. In recent years, a hybrid dryer capable of selectively using solar heat and electricity has been used System.

However, currently used agricultural product dryer is inconvenient to use.

In other words, mechanical buttons are used for setting and operating temperature and humidity. However, if the button structure is used, it is troublesome to disassemble and assemble the button structure when a physical failure or a mechanical failure occurs.

In addition, the agricultural product dryer is provided with a 7-segment display device, which displays the current temperature, the set temperature, the current humidity, and the set humidity through the 7-segment. In this case, there is a limit to display the information accurately, and the user has a problem in easily acquiring information.

And the agricultural dryer was operated only in the place where it was installed. Therefore, it is not possible to remotely control the driving of the agricultural product dryer, and the collected information must be directly downloaded from the agricultural product dryer. In addition, since the engineer has to visit the place where the agricultural product dryer is installed to manage the dryer of the agricultural product, the time and the management cost are unnecessarily incurred.

And, if the existing agricultural product dryer is configured as a hybrid system, solar and general electricity can be selectively used, but at this time, one power source was used in accordance with the operation of the changeover switch. As a result, it has not been able to precisely control the use of solar or electricity.

Also, the controller condition of the agricultural product dryer could not be completely grasped. Therefore, there is a case where the state of the agricultural product can not be properly dried when a failure occurs or the dryer is restarted after the operation is stopped.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2005-0105625 (November 4, 2005, Method and Apparatus for Controlling Drying in Agricultural and Marine Products Dryer)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control device for an agricultural produce dryer, which can more easily and easily control an agricultural produce dryer.

Another object of the present invention is to remotely control and manage agricultural driers.

According to an aspect of the present invention for attaining the above object, there is provided a method for controlling an agricultural product dryer, including: a first control unit for controlling operations of an agricultural produce dryer; And a second control unit connected to the communication network and controlling operation of the agricultural produce dryer, wherein the first control unit comprises: a sensor unit having various sensors; A touch panel that displays information sensed by the sensor and information generated during a drying operation and inputs information for a drying operation; An interface for coupling with the second control unit; An error detector for detecting an error of information input through the touch panel; And a storage unit for storing a program related to driving of the agricultural produce dryer, image information on various agricultural products, various parameter information corresponding thereto, and a remote control program, wherein the second control unit is a smart device and a PC A control device for an agricultural product dryer is provided.

The present invention further includes a camera for acquiring agricultural products to be dried as image information, wherein the error detecting unit compares the image information with the drying time information input through the touch panel, and detects an error of the drying time information .

Further, the present invention further includes a solar heat collecting plate for collecting solar heat, and the control unit of the first control unit determines whether the drying process can be performed during the input drying time using the amount of solar heat applied through the solar heat collecting plate .

And controls the drying process to be performed during the input drying time using at least one of the general commercial power source and the solar heat amount according to the determination result.

The second control unit communicates with the first control unit to perform program upgrading in real time, downloads data generated during the drying process from the first control unit, and diagnoses the agricultural product dryer.

The control apparatus for an agricultural produce dryer according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, the controller for the agricultural produce dryer of the present invention improves the touch input and display configuration, so that the user can use the dryer for the agricultural product dryer more conveniently and easily.

In addition, since the present invention adds a verification process for the information input by the user, the user is informed of a guidance message for re-inputting the erroneously inputted information. So that the probability and frequency of occurrence of a malfunction due to use can be minimized.

Further, since the agricultural product dryer can be controlled from a remote place, the present invention can reduce the inconvenience of use in a physical place. In addition, administrators can check and diagnose remotely, saving time and money because they do not have to visit their own installation site.

It also allows for more precise control of solar and electricity use.

1 is a block diagram of a controller for a produce dryer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a flowchart for controlling the operation of the agricultural produce dryer using the control device according to the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of remotely controlling the agricultural product dryer using the second control unit according to the present invention.
4 is a flow chart for selecting a driving power source of the agricultural product dryer according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following description. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure can be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a control apparatus for an agricultural produce dryer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The control device (10) for an agricultural product dryer of the present invention may be configured separately from the agricultural product dryer, or may be integrally formed with the agricultural product dryer. Or the control device 10 may be constructed so as to be detachable and detachable from the agricultural product dryer. However, in this embodiment, a description will be given of an example in which a control device is included in the agricultural product dryer.

1 is a block diagram of a controller for a produce dryer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The control device 10 can be divided into a first control unit 100 and a second control unit 200. The first control unit 100 is a control device itself and the second control unit 200 is a device capable of controlling the operation of the agricultural product dryer by being connected to the first control unit 100 by wire / An example of the second control unit 200 may be a general-purpose device capable of network connection, for example, a smart phone or a PC.

The first control unit 100 will be described.

And a sensor unit 110 for sensing various kinds of information. Types of sensors include temperature sensor, humidity sensor, solar collecting hot water temperature sensor, external temperature sensor, solar light sensor, and sensor that detects the temperature of water heated by solar heat.

The switch operating portion 120 is constituted. Switches include dryer on / off switches, heat supply switches, drain pump switches, and electric and solar mode switches.

A touch panel 130 for information display and operation is constituted. The touch panel 130 displays information and provides a function of inputting corresponding information when a touch operation is performed by the user. The touch panel 130 may be manufactured in various sizes according to the size of the agricultural product dryer. Instead of the touch panel 130, a display for displaying only information and an operation unit for inputting information may be separately configured. Examples of the information displayed in the embodiment include the operation of the dryer such as temperature, humidity, actual temperature of the external piping, piping heater temperature, accumulated heat amount of the collector, electricity usage information, weather, operation time, Displays all related states. Of course, the displayed information can be changed by the user. The information manipulation can manipulate drying parameter setting, environment setting, drying method, and the like.

And an interface 140 for connecting with an external network is configured. A smart phone or a PC, which is the second control unit 200, is connected through the interface 140. Therefore, it is possible to remotely control the agricultural product dryer using a smartphone or a PC. Of course, software for remotely controlling the agricultural product dryer should be installed on the smartphone or PC, and if the upgrade is necessary, the smartphone or PC is automatically connected and updated.

An error detection unit 150 is configured to detect an input parameter value, for example, a temperature, a humidity, an operation time, a type of an agricultural product, etc., That is, the user inputs the type of agricultural product and the operation time for drying. If the type of agricultural product does not correspond to the operation time, the user is notified that there is an error in the inputted information. For example, in case of agricultural product A, the drying time is about one hour in consideration of humidity information and the like, but the user can input the drying time for more than two hours. In this case, the error detection unit 150 may determine that there is an error in the input information, and notify the information message to re-input the information.

On the other hand, the error detection unit 150 may operate in conjunction with the camera 152. [ The camera 152 is a configuration for confirming the type of produce. In other words, the agricultural products to be dried in the dryer of the agricultural product are photographed with images and compared with the previously stored db information, the kinds of agricultural products are confirmed. The appropriate temperature, humidity, drying time, etc. for each type of agricultural product are provided in advance in dB. Therefore, when the parameter corresponding to the identified agricultural product is input, the error detection unit 150 detects whether there is an error between the input parameter and the previously stored information, and notifies the information message to input the input information again. Of course, the type of agricultural products can be confirmed, and the drying time can be automatically set based on the humidity information of the agricultural products, so that agricultural products can be constructed. Alternatively, the user may directly input the type of agricultural product and input the drying time, etc. In this case, the information message is notified when the input information is erroneously input based on the image information.

And a storage unit 160 for storing various information. Examples of the information stored in the storage unit 160 include all the programs related to the driving of the agricultural produce dryer, the second control unit 200, the smartphone / PC, Software for various agricultural products, image information for various agricultural products, and various parameter information corresponding thereto.

A controller 170 is configured to manage the overall operation of the agricultural produce dryer while controlling the operations on the above-described configurations. The control unit 170 is a microcomputer or a processor and performs a corresponding operation according to the drying process or transfers control to the second control unit 200 or transmits data.

In the agricultural product dryer of the present invention, a solar heat collecting plate 190 for collecting solar heat should be constructed. The solar collector plate 190 may be integrally formed with the agricultural product dryer, or may be separately constructed. The drying operation is performed while circulating the hot water heated by the solar heat along the solar collector plate 190.

Next, a control method of the agricultural produce dryer will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and related drawings.

2 is a flowchart for controlling the operation of the agricultural produce dryer using the control device according to the present invention.

The agricultural produce dryer is provided with agricultural produce to be dried.

In this state, the user operates the touch panel 130 (s100). The kind of the agricultural product, the drying time and the like are inputted in accordance with the operation of the touch panel 130. [ The drying method can be selected. You can also choose a heat source for drying. The heat source is solar heat or electricity. In this case, the user can select to use at least one heat source of solar and electricity using the charged solar information. That is, if the charged solar heat is sufficient, the solar heat alone will cause the drying to take place, while if not enough, the electricity will be used to dry. Or solar or electricity may be used, and drying may be performed using electricity or solar heat at a predetermined time.

On the other hand, based on the information input by operating the touch panel 130, the error detector 150 detects whether there is an error in the input information (s102). That is, when the type of agricultural product does not match the drying time. Alternatively, it is possible to detect whether the inputted agricultural product information is not suitable according to the image information of agricultural products photographed by the camera, or whether there is an error in the inputted information with respect to agricultural products confirmed by the camera.

If there is an error in the detection result (s104), the error detection unit 150 notifies the control unit 170 of the error. Then, the controller 170 displays a guidance message on the touch panel 130 so that the user can input information again. On the other hand, if no error occurs, the controller 170 drives the agricultural produce dryer (s106).

When the agricultural product dryer operates normally, the controller 170 collects information on the type of agricultural products to be dried and drying, and stores the collected information in the storage unit 160 (s108). It is possible to use the stored information when the same agricultural products are dried later.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of remotely controlling an agricultural product dryer using a second control unit according to the present invention.

The user can perform the drying operation using the second control unit 200 in addition to the first control unit 100 provided in the agricultural product dryer. To do so, the user requests a communication connection to the first control unit 100 using the second control unit 200 (S110).

The first control unit 100 establishes a communication path with the second control unit 200 according to the communication connection request of the second control unit 200 (s112). The communication path can be variously applied to a wired / wireless communication method. In the case of a smart phone, it can be connected through a cellular communication network, or in a WiFi area, it can be connected through a Wi-Fi network. In the case of a PC, a connection may be made through an Internet network or a wired / wireless LAN connection.

When the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 are connected, the first control unit 100 checks the program state stored in the second control unit 200 and determines whether an upgrade is necessary (s114). When an upgrade is required according to the determination result, the first control unit 100 transmits the program to the second control unit 200 to execute the upgrade (s116).

When the second control unit 200 is in a state capable of performing the control operation, the first control unit 100 then passes control to the second control unit 200 (s118). Thereafter, the second control unit 200 can remotely control the agricultural product dryer (s120).

When the second control unit 200 is connected to the agricultural product dryer by using the communication network, the user (manager) does not have to visit the installed place to manage the agricultural product dryer. It is possible to collect and diagnose relevant data through the communication network, thereby minimizing time and expense.

4 is a flowchart for selecting a driving power source of the agricultural product dryer according to the present invention.

As described above, the agricultural product dryer of the present invention employs a hybrid system for drying agricultural products using solar heat and electricity, and can automatically and artificially select the use of solar heat or electricity, while avoiding user interference as much as possible.

The control unit 170 receives information from a sensor that continuously collects calorific information of the sun. In addition, battery charging information is also confirmed by solar heat (s130).

Therefore, when the type of the agricultural product and the drying time are inputted (s132), the controller 170 determines whether the drying can be performed only by the solar heat (s134). In accordance with the determination result, the controller 170 selects solar heat or electricity use (s136) (s138). Then, the drying operation is performed with the selected power source (s142). On the other hand, it is also possible to operate in a mode in which solar heat and electricity can be used simultaneously (s140). In the case of a mode in which solar heat and electricity are simultaneously used, the controller 170 calculates the drying time based on the current solar heat quantity (s144). During the calculated drying time, the drying operation is performed by the solar heat. When the drying time comes, the drying operation is performed by receiving electricity (s146). That is, the drying process is performed in a hybrid manner. Here, the drying operation using electricity in the solar heat can be performed by sensing the temperature of the water heated by the solar heat. For example, when the temperature of the water is higher than the appropriate temperature for the drying operation, the drying operation is continuously performed using the solar heat. However, if the temperature of the water is lower than the proper temperature, the drying operation is performed using electricity.

Thus, the present invention allows the user to control more precisely than to simply switch solar and electricity usage at his or her discretion.

As described above, the present embodiment makes it possible to use the agricultural product dryer more conveniently, informs the user of wrong input information to be reentered, and is configured to control and manage the agricultural product dryer at a remote place.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It will be apparent that modifications, variations and equivalents of other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

100: first control unit 200: second control unit
110: sensor unit 120: switch control unit
130: touch panel 140: interface
150: Error detection unit 152:
160: Storage unit 170: Control unit
180: Battery 190: Solar panel

Claims (5)

A first control unit for controlling the operation of the agricultural produce dryer;
And a second control unit connected to the network and controlling operation of the agricultural produce dryer,
The first control unit includes:
A sensor unit having various sensors;
A camera for acquiring image information of an agricultural product to be dried;
A touch panel that displays information sensed by the sensor and information generated during a drying operation and inputs information for a drying operation;
An interface for coupling with the second control unit;
An error detector for comparing the image information with the drying time information inputted through the touch panel to detect an error of the drying time information;
A program related to driving of the agricultural produce dryer, image information on various agricultural products, various parameter information corresponding thereto, and a storage unit for storing a remote control program,
Wherein the second control unit is a smart device and a PC,
Wherein the error detector detects the type of grain by using the image information and detects an error by comparing the parameter information of the type of the discriminated grain with the input drying time information, . delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a solar collector plate for collecting solar heat,
Wherein the control unit included in the first control unit determines whether the drying process can be performed during the input drying time using the amount of solar heat applied through the solar heat collection plate. The method of claim 3,
Wherein,
And controlling the drying process to be performed during an input drying time using at least one of the general commercial power source and the solar heat amount according to the determination result. The method of claim 3,
The second control unit includes:
A program upgrade is performed in real time when communicating with the first control unit,
And a controller for downloading data generated during the drying process from the first control unit and diagnosing the agricultural product dryer.

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