Soil moisture probing at variable depth

• US 10,247,687 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bermudez Rodriguez, Sergio A., Hamann, Hendrik F., Klein, Levente, Schappert, Michael A., van Kessel, Theodore G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rhodes-Vivour, Temilade
• Application Number:
  US15/058,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20170254766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 2/00 Vegetative propagation plant reproduction by tissue culture techniques A01H4/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/048 for determining moisture content of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/301 Reference electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/333 Ion-selective electrodes or membranes glass electrodes G01N27/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/246 for water content
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 1/00 Comparing elements, i.e. elements for effecting comparison directly or indirectly between a desired value and existing or anticipated values
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/00 Program-control systems

Abstract

A soil moisture sensor and a soil moisture sensing system are provided. The soil moisture sensor includes a double groove helical structure having grooves and formed from an insulator. The soil moisture sensor further includes at least a first electrode and a second electrode formed from one or more metals deposited at at least two different locations on the grooves. The soil moisture sensor also includes a processor for processing a soil moisture measurement signal based on a conductivity between the electrodes. The soil moisture sensor additionally includes a wireless transmitter for transmitting the soil moisture measurement signal to a remote location.

Claims

1. A soil moisture sensor, comprising:

a double groove helical structure having grooves and formed from an insulator, the grooves driving the soil moisture sensor into a ground portion perpendicular to a surface of the ground portion;

at least a first electrode and a second electrode formed from one or more metals deposited at least two different locations on the grooves;

a processor for processing a soil moisture measurement signal based on a conductivity between the electrodes; and

a wireless transmitter for transmitting the soil moisture measurement signal to a remote location.

2. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, further comprising a third electrode formed from the one or more metals or a different metal and deposited at a different location on the grooves than the first and second electrodes, wherein the third electrode is configured as a reference electrode for three electrode electrochemical measurements.

3. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, further comprising a third and a fourth electrode formed from the one or more metals or one or more different metals and deposited at different locations than the first and second electrodes, wherein the third electrode and the fourth electrode are respectively configured as a reference electrode and a sense electrode for four electrode electrochemical measurements.

4. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, wherein the electrodes are segmented to allow multi-electrode electrochemical measurements.

5. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, further comprising a pair of ion-selective electrodes for measuring micro-nutrients in the soil.

6. The soil moisture sensor of claim 5, wherein the pair of ion-selective electrodes is deposited on at least a portion of at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

7. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, wherein the insulator forming the double groove helical structure electrically isolates the electrodes from each other.

8. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, wherein the insulator is a plastic or ceramic material.

9. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes form an electrode pair for soil moisture measurement at a given depth, and the sensor further comprises at least one other electrode pair for soil moisture measurement at at least one other given depth, to provide single-sensor, multi-depth soil moisture measurements.

10. The soil moisture sensor of claim 1, wherein the one or more metals comprise at least two different metals selected based on at least one of corrosion resistance and electrochemical potential.

11. A soil moisture sensing system, comprising:

a plurality of soil moisture sensors, each including;

a double groove helical structure having grooves and formed from an insulator, the grooves driving the soil moisture sensor into a ground portion perpendicular to a surface of the ground portion;

at least a first electrode and a second electrode formed from one or more metals deposited at least two different locations on the grooves;

a processor for processing a soil moisture measurement signal based on a conductivity between the electrodes; and

a wireless transmitter for transmitting the soil moisture measurement signal, and

a wireless receiver for receiving the soil moisture measurement signal at a remote location.

12. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of soil moisture sensors further comprises a third electrode formed from the one or more metals or a different metal and deposited at a different location on the grooves than the first and second electrodes, wherein the third electrode is configured as a reference electrode for three electrode electrochemical measurements.

13. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of soil moisture sensors further comprises a third and a fourth electrode formed from the one or more metals or one or more different metals and deposited at different locations than the first and second electrodes, wherein the third electrode and the fourth electrode are respectively configured as a reference electrode and a sense electrode for four electrode electrochemical measurements.

14. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein the electrodes of at least one of the plurality of soil moisture sensors are segmented to allow multi-electrode electrochemical measurements.

15. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of soil moisture sensors further comprises a pair of ion-selective electrodes for measuring micro-nutrients in the soil.

16. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 15, wherein the pair of ion-selective electrodes is deposited on at least a portion of at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode of the at least one of the plurality of soil moisture sensors.

17. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein the insulator forming the double groove helical structure electrically isolates the electrodes on any given one of the plurality of soil moisture sensors from each other.

18. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein the insulator is a plastic or ceramic material.

19. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein the first and second electrodes form an electrode pair for soil moisture measurement at a given depth, and the sensor further comprises at least one other electrode pair for soil moisture measurement at at least one other given depth, to provide single-sensor, multi-depth soil moisture measurements for measuring a water propagation speed into the soil.

20. The soil moisture sensing system of claim 11, wherein the one or more metals comprise at least two different metals selected based on at least one of corrosion resistance and electrochemical potential.