The Device for Houseplants Caring

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of an automated device for plant care at home. The main factors influencing plant development are considered. A comparative analysis of existing devices was made. The growth of plants is influenced by many factors: the level of light, soil moisture, room temperature, carbon dioxide level. When plants are growing indoors, the most important thing is timely watering and access to light. The required amount of light for most plants is 12-18 hours per day. Our country is in the temperate climate zone, so we have 15 hours of light in summer, 13 hours in autumn and spring, and 9 hours in winter. The amount of light in summer is normal, in autumn and spring - within normal limits, but in winter there is a certain lack of light. The lack of natural insolation in winter leads to light starvation of houseplants and reduced intensity of photosynthesis. Therefore, the decrease of the amount of natural light is compensated by artificial light sources. Analysis of the devices on the market has shown that devices that can solve such problems exist, but there is no device with all functions simultaneously. Lighting devices illuminate on a timer, regardless of natural light. Irrigation devices are intended for industrial, not for domestic use. Existing technological solutions for home cultivation have only a warning function: sound or light, which can bring some inconvenience. Looking on these problems, a device is created to maintain the required soil moisture and the required amount of light. The control unit is based on a microcontroller that analyses the data obtained from the sensors and sends the appropriate signals to the climate control devices. The device is equipped with a soil moisture sensor, a light sensor, a real - time sensor, an LED lamp, a water pump, an LED lamp driver, and a control key of water pump. To control soil moisture, a capacitive humidity sensor is used, the advantages of it is the absence of corrosion of metal parts of the sensors that touch the ground. A light meter based on the BH1750 chip is used as a light sensor. This sensor has a wide measuring range, measuring accuracy - 1 lux, small dimensions and the ability to connect to a microcontroller via I2C interface. The DS3231 chip is used as a real-time clock that required to maintain a circadian rhythm close to the natural one for a given plant. An LED strip with red and blue LEDs is used for lighting. The ratio of blue / red LEDs depends on the stage of growth and the type of plant, but it is usually from 1/3 to 1/5. The key that controls the LED strip and the water pump are the MOS transistors. They are silent and allow you to adjust the brightness of the LED strip.