EXTENDABLE WIRELESS SOIL MEASUREMENT APPARATUS

• US 20150168594A1
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cheng-Hung Chang
• Original Assignee: Cheng-Hung Chang
• Inventors: CHANG, Cheng-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/007 Determining fertilization requirements
• 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: G01N 33/245 for agricultural purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods not provided for in groups G01V1/00 - G01V8/00

Abstract

A two-tier wireless soil measurement apparatus is disclosed, including a top head and a plurality of sensors, wherein the top head being placed on or above the ground and the plurality of sensors being buried under the soil for sensing soil conditions, generating soil data representing the sensed soil conditions, and transmitting generated soil conditions to the top head; the plurality of sensors able to be assembled into a pole and each of the plurality of sensors including a sensor unit for sensing a soil condition; a circuit module connected to the sensor unit for transmitting sensed soil condition to the top head, a sensor housing for housing the sensor unit and the circuit module; and an engaging element for engaging two sensors in a head-to-tail manner for form a pole.

Claims

1. An extendable wireless soil measurement apparatus, comprising:

a top head, disposed above a soil surface for transmitting data to a data station through a wireless means; and

a plurality of sensors, disposed under soil for sensing soil conditions, generating soil data representing the sensed soil conditions, and transmitting generated soil conditions to the top head, the plurality of sensors able to be assembled into a pole;

wherein each of the plurality of sensors further comprising;

a sensor unit for sensing a soil condition and generating soil data representing the sensed soil condition;

a circuit module connected to the sensor unit for transmitting generated soil data to the top head

a sensor housing for housing the sensor unit and the circuit module; and

an engaging element for engaging two sensors in a head-to-tail manner for form a pole.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor housing preferably made of metal, porous ceramic or plastic material.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor housing further comprises:

a first segment, further comprising a cylindered wall and a bottom, to form a dish to fit the engaging element in;

a second segment, further comprising a cylindered wall and a bottom, connected to the bottom of the first segment to form a cavity for housing the circuit module to seal and protect the circuit module from contacting the soil, the bottom having an opening for allowing the sensor unit to extend into the cavity housing the circuit module and to connect electrically to the circuit module;

a third segment, further comprising a cylindered wall and a bottom, connected to the second segment to form a cavity housing the sensor unit, the cylindered wall is disposed with a plurality of openings to allow the soil to enter the openings on the cylindered wall of the third segment to fill the cavity and contact the sensor, the sensor unit fitting tightly to the opening disposed at the bottom of the second segment to ensure a sealed cavity formed by the second segment and the bottom of the first segment; and

a fourth segment, comprising a cylindered wall, attached to the bottom of the third segment;

wherein the four segments being connected together to form an integrated shell of a cylindered shape, and when two sensors being assembled, the fourth segment of one sensor and the first segment of the other sensor being engaged by the engaging element in a head-to-tail manner to form a pole.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least a connector, wherein the connector being disposed between sensors or between the sensor and the top head to adjust the pole length and the depth of the sensors when the apparatus being buried under soil.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the connector further comprises a metal line for reducing wireless transmission loss through the connector.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the length of the metal line can be adjusted based on a wireless transmission frequency used for transmitting soil data from the sensor to the top head.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the metal line is 13 cm long when the wireless transmission frequency is 433 MHz.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein top head further comprises one or more sensor units.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein one or more sensor units may be an air humidity level sensor, an air temperature sensor, a light level sensor, a CO₂ level sensor, an air pressure sensor, a GPS sensor, an accelerometer or any combination of the above.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein sensor unit can be an accelerometer, a soil tension meter, a soil moisture sensor, a soil temperature sensor, a soil dissolved oxygen sensor, a soil pH level sensor, a soil conductivity sensor, a soil dielectric frequency sensor, or any combination of the above.