Wireless soil moisture meter network

• US 20040140902A1
• Filed: 01/19/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Clover Design, LLC
• Original Assignee: Blue Clover Design, LLC
• Inventors: Staples, Peter Ethan
• Granted Patent: US 6,975,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/602
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/167 Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/20 responsive to moisture

Abstract

A wireless soil moisture meter network includes a central display unit and a plurality of remote sensor units. Each sensor unit uses a probe to measure moisture content in soil, and uses a wireless transmitter to transmit the measurement through a wireless channel to the central display unit. The central display unit receives and displays the measurement in a format selectable by a user. The user may add to or remove from the network a sensor unit using a user interface of the central display unit.

Claims

1. A wireless network comprising:

a plurality of handheld sensor units, each including

a sensing probe to measure moisture content in soil; and

a wireless transmitter to transmit the measurement through a wireless channel; and

a portable central display unit to receive and display the measurement from the sensor units.

2. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the sensing probe includes a tube filled with a porous material.

3. The wireless network of claim 2, wherein the porous material includes gypsum.

4. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein each of the sensor units includes a synch button which, when pressed, enables the transmitter to send a bit sequence indicating the presence of the sensor unit.

5. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein each of the sensor units includes a temperature sensor.

6. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the central display unit includes a channel selector.

7. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the central display unit includes a mode selector.

8. The wireless network of claim 7, wherein the mode selector is used to select a first mode that toggles between display of a single sensor unit'"'"'s measurement and simultaneous display of measurements from multiple sensor units.

9. The wireless network of claim 7, wherein the mode selector is used to select a second mode that toggles between a numerical value and a non-numerical descriptor describing a moisture level.

10. The wireless network of claim 7, wherein the mode selector is used to select a third mode that permits a sensor unit to be added to the wireless network.

11. The wireless network of claim 7, wherein the mode selector is used to select a fourth mode that permits a sensor unit to be deleted from the wireless network.

12. The wireless network of claim 7, wherein the mode selector is used to select a fifth mode that causes all of the sensor units to be deleted from the wireless network.

13. The wireless network of claim 7, wherein the mode selector is used to select a sixth mode that causes an alarm to sound when the measured moisture content is below a predetermined threshold.

14. A method of establishing a wireless soil moisture meter network, the method comprising:

(a) using a portable central display unit to assign a wireless channel number to a remote sensor;

(b) placing the central display unit in a wait state until a predefined bit sequence is received; and

(c) enabling the sensor to send the predefined bit sequence and a unique identifier of the sensor to the central display unit.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising repeating the steps of (a), (b), and (c) to add additional remote sensors to the network.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising storing the identifier at the central display unit for the assigned channel number.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the central display unit is set to an ALL mode before the wireless channel number is assigned.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless channel number is assigned using a channel button of the central display unit.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the central display unit enters the wait state when a synch option is selected at the central display unit.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the predefined bit sequence and the unique identifier are sent when a synch button is activated at the remote sensor.