Plant growth weight measurement instrument and method thereof

• US 9,775,300 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Lin, Ta-Te, Chen, Wei-Tai
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Marc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barlow, Morgan T
• Application Number:
  US14/169,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/00 Botany in general

Abstract

The weight measurement instrument includes a support frame, a plant holder, and a load cell. The plant holder is assembled with the support frame and has an upper opening and a lower opening, a hydroponic plant can be planted in the plant holder and grow towards the upper opening and the lower opening; the load cell is fixed with the support frame and is used for measuring the total weight of the hydroponic plant automatically. A method for measuring the total weight of the hydroponic plant automatically is also provided.

Claims

1. A hydroponic plant growth measurement instrument configured for disposing a hydroponic plant in the hydroponic plant growth measurement instrument, the hydroponic plant growth measurement instrument comprising:

a support frame, the support frame including a top disk and a bottom disk, the top disk and the bottom disk being spaced apart from each other;

a plant holder defining an upper opening and a lower opening, wherein the plant holder is assembled so that the upper opening is positioned inside a first opening in the top disk and the lower opening is positioned inside a second opening in the bottom disk, the upper opening and the lower opening defining a passage so that the hydroponic plant is capable of passing through the upper opening of the plant holder;

a load cell fixed with the top disk; and

a sponge mounted in an interior of the plant holder and encasing a stem of the hydroponic plant;

wherein the load cell is arranged to measure a weight of leaves of the hydroponic plant that fall onto the load cell.

2. The measurement instrument according to claim 1, wherein an edge is protruded from an outer surface of the plant holder, the plant holder extends through the top disk and the edge of the plant holder abuts an upper surface of the top disk.

3. The measurement instrument according to claim 1, further comprising one fixing device, wherein the fixing device has a first upper portion and a first lower portion, and the first upper portion and the first lower portion are respectively fixed with the load cell and the top disk.

4. The measurement instrument according to claim 3, wherein the fixing device is a screw.

5. The measurement instrument according to claim 1, further comprising one support device, wherein the support device is passed through the top disk, the support device has a second upper portion and a second lower portion, and the second upper portion and the second lower portion are respectively fixed with the load cell and the bottom disk.

6. The measurement instrument according to claim 5, wherein the support device is a screw.

7. The measurement instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface, wherein the load cell is electrically coupled with the user interface, and the user interface is capable of storing and displaying the weight of the leaves of the hydroponic plant.