Soil characteristics survey device and soil characteristics survey method

• US 20030009286A1
• Filed: 07/03/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Original Assignee: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Inventors: Ohtomo, Atsushi, Shibusawa, Sakae, Hirako, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,853,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 47/00 Soil-working with electric potential applied between tools and soil
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

To provide a soil characteristics survey device capable of efficiently acquiring high precision data information about the distribution of soil characteristics in an agricultural field, and managing the data information collectively.

The soil characteristics survey device is composed of a pedestal connected to the rear of the tractor, a control unit (a computer) mounted on the pedestal, and a soil excavating unit attached below the rear end of the pedestal. While being towed by a vehicle 2 such as a tractor, the device surveys in real time the distribution of soil characteristics in a given agricultural field. At the top of the control unit is attached a GPS antenna. The soil excavating unit 50 is composed of a shank 51 connected to the bottom of the pedestal and a sensing unit which is fixed to the bottom of the shank 51 and advances in the soil approximately parallel to the ground at a predetermined depth. The control unit 30 generates data information groups corresponding to the same soil samples, concerning soil characteristics to be detected or the detection signals of differently arranged sensors 57, 61, 62, 63, 64, 100, and the like.

Claims

1. A soil characteristics survey device for surveying soil characteristics, comprising:

a soil excavator for excavating and moving into a given soil while making its excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth, and forming a survey space on an opposite side of a direction of movement of the excavating surface;

a detecting device;

a distance recognizing device; and

a distance corresponding device, wherein

said detecting device measures characteristics of the soil on a survey surface which is on an interface between the survey space and the soil,

said distance recognizing device recognizes the distance from said detecting device to the survey surface, and

said distance corresponding device performs an information process about soil characteristics detected by said detecting device, according to the distance recognized by said distance recognizing device.

2. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 1, wherein said distance corresponding device comprises:

an unevenness recognizing device for recognizing unevenness of the survey surface based on the distance recognized by said distance recognizing device; and

a grouping processor for grouping information about the soil characteristics detected by said detecting device based on the unevenness recognized by said unevenness recognizing device.

3. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 1, wherein the soil characteristics detected by said detecting device include optical characteristics based on light reflected from the survey surface.

14. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 1, further comprising:

a communicator; and

a processor, wherein

said communicator acquires information about a current position of the soil characteristics survey device as external communication information, and

said processor processes the communication information and the soil characteristics detected by said detecting device as mutually related data information.

4. A soil characteristics survey device for surveying characteristics, comprising:

a soil excavator for excavating and moving into a given soil while making its excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth and

a detecting device for detecting electric characteristics of the soil in contact with the excavating surface.

5. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 4, wherein said detecting device at least includes a pair of electrodes which are exposed to the excavating surface and isolated from each other.

6. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 5, wherein said detecting device includes a voltage applier for applying an alternating voltage of a predetermined frequency to said pair of electrodes.

7. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 6, wherein said voltage applier includes:

a first voltage applier for applying an alternating voltage of a predetermined frequency to said pair of electrodes; and

a second voltage applier for applying an alternating voltage of a different frequency from the alternating voltage applied to said pair of electrodes by the first voltage applier.

15. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 4, further comprising:

a communicator; and

a processor, wherein

said communicator acquires information about a current position of the soil characteristics survey device as external communication information, and

said processor processes the communication information and the soil characteristics detected by said detecting device as mutually related data information.

8. A soil characteristics survey device for surveying characteristics, comprising:

a soil excavator for excavating and moving into a given soil while making its excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth; and

a detecting device for detecting a force acting opposite to the direction of movement when said soil excavator moves.

16. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 8, further comprising:

a communicator; and

a processor, wherein

said communicator acquires information about a current position of the soil characteristics survey device as external communication information, and

said processor processes the communication information and the soil characteristics detected by said detecting device as mutually related data information.

9. A soil characteristics survey device for surveying characteristics, comprising:

a soil excavator for excavating and moving into a given soil while making its excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth, and forming a survey space on an opposite side of a direction of monement of the excavating surface;

a detecting device;

a detecting condition recognizing device; and

a group information generator, wherein

said detecting device measures the characteristics of at least one of the soil on the survey surface which is on an interface between the survey space and the soil, and the soil in contact with the excavating surface,

said detecting condition recognizing device recognizes detecting conditions when said detecting device detects characteristics of plural locations of soil, and

said group information generator generates groups of data information corresponding to nearly the same soil samples about the characteristics of the plural locations of soil, based on the detecting conditions recognized by said detecting condition recognizing device.

10. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 9, wherein the detecting conditions recognized by said detecting condition recognizing device includes a timing at which the characteristics of the plural locations of soil are detected and a rate of movement of said soil excavator.

11. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 9, wherein said detecting device detects both the characteristics of the soil on the survey surface and the soil in contact with the excavating surface.

12. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 11, wherein said detecting device detects the characteristics of the soil on the survey surface and the soil in contact with the excavating surface from nearly the same soil sample.

13. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 12, further comprising a comparator for comparing, based on the characteristics of at least one of the soil on the survey surface and the soil in contact with the excavating surface, reliability of the characteristics of the other.

17. The soil characteristics survey device of claim 9, further comprising:

a communicator; and

a processor, wherein

said communicator acquires information about a current position of the soil characteristics survey device as external communication information, and

said processor processes the communication information and the soil characteristics detected by said detecting device as mutually related data information.

18. A soil characteristics survey method comprising the steps of:

excavating and moving into a given soil while making an excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth, and forming a survey space on an opposite side of a direction of movement of the excavating surface; and

processing information about characteristics of the soil on a survey surface which is on an interface between the survey space and the soil detected by a detecting device according to a distance from said detecting device to the survey surface.

19. A soil characteristics survey method comprising the step of

excavating and moving into a given soil while making an excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth, and detecting electric characteristics of the soil in contact with the excavating surface.

20. A soil characteristics survey method comprising the step of

excavating and moving into a given soil while making an excavating surface get in contact with the soil at any given depth, and detecting a force acting opposite to the direction of movement of the excavating surface.