Baselining criteria for RF sensing in horticulture application

1. A horticulture system comprising a plurality of horticulture system units for growing plants in growth stages and a control system, wherein:

each horticulture system unit comprises (i) a horticulture unit space comprising a plant at a respective growth stage and (ii) a radio transmission pair arranged to monitor the horticulture unit space with radio frequency sensing, wherein the radio transmission pair comprises a radio transmitter and a radio receiver arranged in radio signal receiving relationship;

the control system is configured to execute in a unit sensing stage a measurement in at least one of the horticulture unit spaces with the respective radio transmission pair;

the control system is configured in an operational mode to:

determine a first null baseline for a first horticulture system unit and a second null baseline for a second horticulture system unit;

calculate a null offset between the first and second null baselines;

execute a first signal sensing stage, wherein the first signal sensing stage comprises the unit sensing stage with a first radio transmission pair related to a first horticulture unit space of the first horticulture system unit thereby providing a first signal to the control system;

execute a second signal sensing stage, wherein the second signal sensing stage comprises the unit sensing stage with a second radio transmission pair related to a second horticulture unit space of the second horticulture system unit, thereby providing a second signal to the control system;

derive a baseline signal from the second signal obtained with the execution of the second signal sensing stage;

calibrate the baseline signal using the null offset as correction factor; and

determine a volumetric plant-related parameter data of the plant in the first horticulture space based on

(a) the first signal and

(b) the baseline signal,

wherein the volumetric plant-related parameter data is selected from the group comprising a leaf volume, a root volume, and a fruit volume;

wherein the plant comprised by the second horticulture unit space is at an earlier growth stage relative to the growth stage of the plant comprised by the first horticulture unit space.

2. The horticulture system unit according to claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to execute in the operational mode the second signal sensing stage, prior to the first signal sensing stage.

3. The horticulture system unit according to claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to execute in the operational mode the second signal sensing stage, simultaneously with the first signal sensing stage.

4. The horticulture system according to claim 1 , wherein each horticulture system unit has an identical configuration of the radio transmission pair relative to the horticulture unit space.

5. The horticulture system according to claim 1 , further comprising a transport element, wherein the transport element is configured to move a plant holder sequentially through a series of the horticulture unit spaces.

6. The horticulture system according to claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to control an environmental parameter of a plurality of the horticulture spaces, and to execute in the operational mode the second signal sensing stage while varying the environmental parameter.

7. The horticulture system according to claim 6 , wherein the environmental parameter is selected from the group comprising a temperature, a substrate humidity, a leaf humidity, a relative humidity, an absolute humidity, an airflow, a density of the horticulture growth medium and a lighting parameter.

8. The horticulture system according to claim 1 , wherein the horticulture system comprises one or more lighting devices, wherein one or more of (a) the radio transmitters and (b) the radio receivers are integrated in the one or more lighting devices.

9. The horticulture system according to claim 1 , wherein the horticulture system comprises an actuator selected from the group comprising a temperature control element, a plant trimmer, a water providing element, a nutrition supply element, a plant treatment supply element, a growth inhibitor supply element, a lighting device, a disinfection device, an insect exposure element, and a harvesting element, wherein the control system controls the actuator, and wherein during the operational mode the control system operates the actuator in dependence of the plant-related parameter data.

10. The horticulture system according to claim 1 , wherein said radio signal is indicative of a control command arranged for controlling an electrical device.

11. A method for determining a volumetric plant-related parameter data of a plant in a horticulture system comprising a plurality of repeating horticulture system units and a control system; wherein the volumetric plant-related parameter data is selected from the group comprising a leaf volume, a root volume, and a fruit volume;

wherein: (a) each horticulture system unit comprises (i) a horticulture unit space and (ii) a radio transmission pair arranged to monitor the horticulture unit space with radio frequency sensing, wherein the radio transmission pair comprises a radio transmitter and a radio receiver arranged in radio signal receiving relationship; and (b) the control system is configured to execute in a unit sensing stage a measurement in at least one of the horticulture unit spaces with the respective radio transmission pair; and wherein the method comprises:

determining first null baseline for the first horticulture system unit and a second null baseline for the second horticulture system unit;

calculating a null offset between the first and second null baselines;

executing a first signal sensing stage, wherein the first signal sensing stage comprises the unit sensing stage with a first radio transmission pair related to a first horticulture unit space of the first horticulture system unit hosting a plant at a respective growth stage thereby providing a first signal to the control system;

executing a second signal sensing stage, wherein the second signal sensing stage comprises the unit sensing stage with a second radio transmission pair related to a second horticulture unit space of the second horticulture system unit hosting a plant at a respective growth stage thereby providing a second signal to the control system;

deriving a baseline signal from the second signal obtained with the execution of the second signal sensing stage;

calibrating the baseline signal using the null offset as correction factor; and

determining a plant-related parameter data based on (a) the first signal and (b) the baseline signal;

wherein the plant comprised by the second horticulture unit space is at an earlier growth stage relative to the growth stage of the plant comprised by the first horticulture unit space.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises moving a plant holder sequentially through a series of the horticulture system units.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the horticulture system comprises one or more lighting devices, wherein one or more of (a) the radio transmitters and (b) the radio receivers are integrated in the one or more lighting devices; wherein the horticulture system ( 1 ) comprises an actuator selected from the group comprising a temperature control element, a plant trimmer, a water providing element, a nutrition supply element, a lighting device, a disinfection device, an insect exposure element, and a harvesting element, wherein the control system controls the actuator; and wherein the method further comprises controlling the actuator in dependence of the plant-related parameter data in relation to the first horticulture unit space.