Indoor Farming

Optimal temperature conditions are critical to the healthy development and well-being of plants. This is why accurate temperature monitoring throughout an indoor growing facility is so important. Tibbo Project System relies on a wide range of temperature-sensing solutions, both Tibbo-made and supplied by third parties. Supported sensor types include sensor Tibbits integrated into TPS devices, Tibbo Cable Probes (I2C interface), Tibbo and third-party Modbus sensors, as well as 1-wire and Single-wire devices. The AppBlocks Platform enables seamless integration of temperature monitoring into the TPS applications.

Coupled with temperature monitoring, active temperature control ensures optimal growing conditions, allowing plants to thrive and yield higher crops. Additionally, the growroom temperature manipulation in conjunction with the sunrise and sunset emulation through the lighting brightness control may be used to induce the desired stages of plant lifecycles, for example, flowering or fruiting for strawberry plants. TPS devices can interface with HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems using discrete, analog, Modbus, or infrared control methods. The AppBlocks Platform supports these control methods with robust and simple building blocks and intuitive configuration interfaces.

Plants vary tremendously by their humidity preferences. Excessive or insufficient humidity may curtail and even arrest the plant development. In addition, high humidity exacerbates microbial, bacterial, and fungal growth, often leading to plant infections. The range of humidity-sensing options on Tibbo Project System (TPS) devices includes integrated sensor Tibbits, Tibbo Cable Probes (I2C interface), Tibbo and third-party Modbus sensors, as well as Single-wire devices. By providing high-level building blocks and configuration screens, the AppBlocks Platform simplifies the integration of humidity monitoring into customers' applications.

CO2 is to plants what oxygen is to people, making CO2 monitoring a vital component of indoor farming automation. Tibbo Project System devices easily interface to off-the-shelf Modbus CO2 sensors. The AppBlocks Platform dramatically simplifies the integration of such sensors and other Modbus devices into TPS applications.

To accelerate plant growth and increase yields, indoor growrooms often maintain increased CO2 levels by releasing additional CO2 from tanks or CO2 generators. Extreme CO2 cycling is also used as a pest control measure. The AppBlocks Platform streamlines the development of CO2 control loop routines and enables fast iteration and adjustment of related algorithms.

To get feedback on the soil conditions, soil sensors are inserted directly into the plant pots and measure soil temperature, moisture, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and other parameters. These specialized sensors are usually of the Modbus type and are easily connected to Tibbo Project System devices and incorporated into the AppBlocks applications.

Hydroponics growrooms often contain water tanks that store irrigation water. The tanks recycle the runoff water from the plants, allowing water to circulate in a closed loop, resulting in significant water savings. Water level monitoring must be used to maintain the proper tank water levels. Facilities with backup diesel- or gas-powered generators may also want to monitor the fuel levels. Tibbo Project System devices easily interface to switch-based water level sensors and more sophisticated ultrasonic distance meters utilized for liquid level sensing applications.

In hydroponic operations, nutrients can be automatically added to the water used to irrigate the plants. Precise dozing may be achieved by deploying stepper motor-driven peristaltic pumps. Tibbo Project System devices easily interface with Modbus stepper motor controllers, as well as Modbus sensors (Ph, EC, etc.) for measuring the concentration of nutrients in the mixing tanks. The AppBlocks Platform speeds up the development and iteration of control loop routines.

Although the actual turning on and off of water pumps is achieved by using simple relay Tibbits, watering control deserves a separate discussion owing to a number of scheduling options offered by the AppBlocks Platform. From CRON-style schedulers for simple hardcoded applications to custom data tables for editable watering protocols to incorporating biofeedback mechanisms, the AppBlocks Platform covers everything one might need to automate this crucial component of growroom automation.

Complex watering systems installed throughout indoor growing facilities require constant monitoring for leaks. Tibbo Project System devices interface to Tibbo-supplied Modbus leakage/flooding detectors and third-party sensors.

A single power failure at an indoor growing facility may ruin months of work, as many plant species do not survive even a few hours in abnormal conditions. This makes the detection and reporting of power failures paramount for indoor agriculture. The TPS family includes a voltage detection Tibbit to monitor AC power.

Indoor growrooms relying on artificial lighting require precise control of lighting cycles. Emulating sunrises and sunsets, coupled with parallel temperature adjustments, improves yields and may also be used to induce various phases of the plants' lifecycles. In addition, new biofeedback methods tracking the plants' photosynthesis needs may be used to reduce energy consumption. Tibbo Project System devices easily facilitate multichannel lighting control using relays or pulse-width modulated (PWM) outputs, while the AppBlocks Platform greatly simplifies the development of lighting control algorithms.

Access to growrooms is often restricted for fear of contamination. Even a small amount of outside matter brought in on visitor's shoes or items of clothing may irreversibly affect a facility. Special precautions, such as double-door gates with air blowers, are often used as a barrier to external contaminants. Owing to the growrooms' sensitivity to outside conditions, microbes, bacteria, fungi, and insects, continual monitoring of all ingress points is an essential component of indoor farming. TPS devices easily interface with standard wired ingress sensors, while the AppBlocks Platform allows for an effortless implementation of responses to changing inputs.

In addition to ingress monitoring, discreet TPS inputs can be employed to keep an eye on many other conditions. For example, simple tank overflow switches can be deployed to report and respond to critical water levels.

Protecting the sensitive growroom environment requires strict access control and the maintenance of detailed access logs. The AppBlocks platform enables quick development of access control algorithms, which may include highly customized arrangements not typically offered by off-the-shelf access control products. The AppBlocks Platform streamlines the creation and handling of data tables, such as those used to store ID codes. The Platform also offers robust event logging.