SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR MONITORING WEATHER AND FIELD CONDITIONS

• US 20180024271A1
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Climate LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: The Climate Corporation (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Koch, Dale, Swanson, Todd, Koch, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 10,768,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 3/00 Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow measuring a proportion of the volume flow G01F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/02 Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed G01W1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/14 Rainfall or precipitation gauges measuring volume in general G01F
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Described herein are systems and method for monitoring weather conditions and controlling field operations based on the weather conditions. In one embodiment, a system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations includes a plurality of weather devices for monitoring weather conditions of fields with at least at one weather device in proximity to each field being monitored and at least one weather device having an electronics module for determining weather data including precipitation data. The system also includes an agricultural computer system having at least one processing unit for executing instructions for monitoring weather conditions. The at least one processing unit is configured to execute instructions to receive weather data from the plurality of weather devices for monitoring weather conditions of fields, to process the weather data, and to generate data including precipitation rate for monitoring weather conditions and operations of the plurality of weather devices.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations, comprising:

a plurality of weather devices for monitoring weather conditions of fields with at least at one weather device in proximity to each field being monitored and at least one weather device having an electronics module for determining weather data including precipitation data; and

an agricultural computer system that includes at least one processing unit for executing instructions for monitoring weather conditions, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to execute instructions to receive weather data from the plurality of weather devices for monitoring weather conditions of fields, to process the weather data, and to generate data including precipitation rate for monitoring weather conditions and operations of the plurality of weather devices.

2. The system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 1, wherein at least one weather device comprises an enclosure for collecting precipitation, a filter, the electronics module, an outlet for releasing precipitation that has been collected by the enclosure, and a transceiver for transmitting communications to the agricultural computer system and for receiving communications from the agricultural computer system during a first power mode of the at least weather device and no communications being transmitted or received during a second power mode, wherein the at least one weather device switches from the second power mode to the first power mode upon detection of precipitation.

3. The system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 2, wherein the electronics module determines a precipitation rate based on a mass of the filter at a first time, a mass of the filter at a second time, and leak rate of an orifice region of an outlet of the at least one weather device.

4. The system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 1, wherein at least one weather device includes a first orifice positioned beneath a first precipitation collection area and a first droplet counter disposed below the first orifice to count droplets released from the first orifice, wherein the at least one weather device also includes a second orifice that is positioned beneath a second precipitation collection area and a second droplet counter disposed below the second orifice to count droplets released from the second orifice.

5. The system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 4, wherein the agricultural computer system determines a first estimated precipitation rate based on a first signal of the first droplet counter and determines a second estimated precipitation rate based on a second signal of the second droplet counter.

6. The system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 5, wherein the agricultural computer system determines a corrected precipitation rate that is based on at least one of the first estimated precipitation rate when the first estimated precipitation rate is in a first range of precipitation rates, the second estimated precipitation rate when the second estimated precipitation rate is in a second range of precipitation rates, and a weighted average of the first and second estimated precipitation rates.

7. The system for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 5, further comprising:

a plurality of soil characteristic sensors with each soil characteristic sensor including a plurality of sensing elements disposed to contact soil along sidewalls of an opening of each soil characteristic sensor, wherein each soil characteristic sensor is configured to measure soil characteristics including at least one of soil moisture, soil temperature, and soil electrical conductivity and then communicate the soil characteristics to the agricultural computer system.

8. An apparatus for monitoring weather conditions for field operations, comprising:

a droplet former disposed to receive precipitation elements with an inlet, form droplets, and guide the droplets to an outlet; and

a droplet counter positioned to be vertically aligned with the outlet, the droplet counter is disposed to count droplets released by said outlet of the droplet former based on the droplets passing between first and second electrical contacts of the droplet counter.

9. The apparatus for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 8, wherein the droplet former comprises a funnel having a textured inner surface with an upper portion of the textured inner surface having a greater downward slope than a lower portion of the textured inner surface.

10. The apparatus for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 9, wherein the droplet former forms and dispenses droplets to the droplet counter at a consistent velocity.

11. The apparatus for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 9, wherein the textured inner surface of the droplet former reduces a statistical deviation of droplet size, shape, and velocity which are released at the outlet in comparison to a statistical deviation of size, shape, and velocity of precipitation elements which are received at the inlet.

12. The apparatus for monitoring weather conditions for field operations of claim 9, wherein the textured inner surface of the droplet former comprises regularly-spaced roughness elements which are arranged in a plurality of radially-spaced groupings disposed at a plurality of heights along the height of the inner surface.

13. A circuit for measuring precipitation, comprising:

a droplet counter circuit to generate an output signal in response to input signals from first and second electrical contacts of a droplet counter; and

a comparator circuit coupled to the droplet counter circuit, the comparator circuit to compare the output signal of the droplet counter circuit to a reference voltage signal.

14. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 13, wherein the comparator circuit to generate an output signal in response to comparing the output signal of the droplet counter circuit to the reference voltage signal.

15. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 14, wherein the output signal of the comparator circuit comprises a first value when the output signal of the droplet counter circuit is less than the reference voltage signal and a second value when the output signal of the droplet counter circuit is greater than the reference voltage signal.

16. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 15, wherein the comparator circuit to send the output signal to a data processing system that is communicatively coupled to the comparator circuit, the data processing system to increment a droplet count upon the output signal switching from the second value to the first value.

17. A circuit for measuring precipitation, comprising:

a droplet-based oscillator circuit to generate a first frequency that is a function of resistance between first and second electrical contacts of a droplet counter;

a fixed frequency oscillator circuit to generate a second frequency that is constant; and

a divider circuit coupled to the droplet-based oscillator circuit and the fixed-frequency oscillator circuit, the divider circuit to generate an output signal based on a comparison of the first frequency and the second frequency

18. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 17, wherein the first frequency is greater when a droplet electrically connects the first and second electrical contacts in comparison to when no droplet is present between the first and second electrical contacts.

19. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 18, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency when a droplet electrically connects the first and second electrical contacts and the first frequency is less than the second frequency when no droplet is present between the first and second electrical contacts.

20. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 17, wherein the output signal comprises a droplet pulse having a pulse period and comprising a plurality of sub-pulses.

21. The circuit for measuring precipitation of claim 20, wherein the pulse period comprises a length that is related to a size of a droplet and a number of the plurality of sub-pulses relates to a conductivity of the droplet.