AU2021107280A4 - A system and method for measuring soil nutrition. - Google Patents

Abstract

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING SOIL NUTRITION. A system for measuring soil nutrition comprising a central server connected to an NPK sensor, a soil moisture sensor, a temperature sensor and a soil pH sensor, a suitable display means and an optional wireless data transmission system, wherein said sensors gather information from the soil, process them and transmit the data to said suitable display medium or through wireless means for mobile devices. Refer to figure 1. 100 107 101 SensorData Received on NPK Sensor User Mobile 102 105 capadtive Soli GSM Module 103MistureSensor ARDUINO UNO Temperature Sensor LCD Display 105 Soil pH Sensor 104- 108 Figure 1

Description

107

101

SensorData Received on NPK Sensor User Mobile

102 105

capadtive Soli GSM Module

103MistureSensor ARDUINO UNO

Temperature Sensor LCD Display 105

Soil pH Sensor

104- 108

Figure 1

EDITORIAL NOTE 2021107280

There are 7 pages of description only.

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

A system and method for measuring soil nutrition.

FIELD OF TE INVENTION

The present invention relates to soil nutrient monitoring and analysis system. More particularly, it relates to a system and a process for monitoring soil moisture content, soil temperature, soil pH and soil nutrient content like Nitrogen, Phosphorous & Potassium.

BACKGROUND

For the augmentation of the harvest from agricultural soils, fertilizers and pesticides are used. Depending upon the type of plant and the natural environment, such as climate and type of soil, very often large amounts of (artificial) mineral fertilizers, as well as pesticides, are distributed onto the agricultural soils.

The nutrients contained in the mineral fertilizers are subdivided into macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients comprise nitrogen, phosphor, calium, and calcium, all of which are applied onto the soils in rather large amounts on a regular basis. The chemical elements iron and magnesium belong to the group of macronutrients as well but are usually applied in combination with other mineral fertilizers. At the same time, micronutrients, often described as trace elements in literature, play an important role in feeding plants. In this category belong chemical elements such as manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum, sulfur and boric.

In agricultural soils, mineral nutrients appear mostly in water-soluble form as anions and cations. This has the effect that through precipitation, a considerable part of the nutrients available to the plants are washed into the groundwater or are removed through water on the surface.

At the same time, pesticides are applied to the soils to fight certain phytopathological influences. To test the requirements for applying the metabolism products of plants are studied in science only. In agriculture, the dosage of fertilizers and pesticides is decided on the basis of spot sample reviews of the crop. In many cases, pesticides are applied as a preventive measure since the actual cultivation requirements hint at such a measure. An actual calibration of the dose to be applied to the actual requirements of the respective crop does not take place.

Under these circumstances, it is necessary to take soil samples in regular intervals to perform chemical analysis in order to determine the supply of nutrients in the soil. For macronutrients such as calium, calcium, and phosphorus, this analysis is usually performed every three years. Due to the high solubility and the dynamics connected therewith, the nitrate available to the plants is determined annually through soil samples. In some field cultures, in particular, if a high yield is desired, the supply with nitrate is determined by means of a leaf analysis.

Today, technical methods are available to measure the supplied degree with plant nutrients of soils by means of determining the mechanical resistance generated by plants. Another approach is the spectral analysis of the light reflected by the plant cover. The spectral fractions allow to draw conclusions with respect to the general conditions of the crop and in particular the supply with nitrate.

In the methods used today problems are encountered at different method steps. Those methods support a demand driven supply of plant nutrients to soils only partly and thus lead to substantial harvest losses and higher costs.

What is the big problem is that between the soil analysis and distribution of fertilizers, a lot of time passes by, ranging from months to years. The supply level of the agricultural soil's changes with the weather. This dynamic is taken into account only remotely in today's distribution methods of fertilizers.

The taking of samples for the soil analysis is performed with a relatively low number of spot samples. The single samples are put together to produce a mixed sample which forms the basis for the chemical analysis. To achieve a supply level that is sufficient, in most cases more fertilizer is distributed than necessary.

Another aspect is that in farming the amounts of fertilizer calculated on the basis of the soil analysis is distributed evenly over the entire area. Different terrain structures such as hills or valleys or deviations in soil quality are not taken into account in this technology.

Measurement data based on an analysis of the existing crop, such as measurements of the mechanical resistance, spectral analysis of the reflected light, can only be used when there is an existing crop. This is not the case during the basic fertilization in spring and autumn. Furthermore, this method is based on the condition of the actual crop. Factors that influence the availability of plant nutrients such as soil reaction and soil humidity are not taken into account either.

The dosage of pesticides is based on visual evaluation of the crop only. An analysis of the soil, to identify metabolism products that are created as a result of diseases or weed cover, is not performed at all. All of the above-mentioned problems of current methods in distribution of mineral fertilizers and pesticides lead to higher costs and to a higher burden for the environment. A targeted concentration of the resources on plants with a higher economical relevance is thus very difficult. To overcome the above-mentioned problems a method and a system is proposed to make a targeted fertilization and use of pesticide possible with lower costs and a lower burden for the environment.

What is proposed is a complete control cycle, comprising methods and systems for obtaining analysis data in the soil, methods and systems for processing the analysis data and methods for using the analysis data for controlling the amount of fertilizer and/or pesticide used on the soil. More specifically, what is proposed is a method for monitoring and controlled distribution of fertilizers/pesticides in agricultural soils, comprising the steps of definition of the area of soils to be monitored, definition of number of sensors needed to monitor the soils, definition of spots in which to place sensors in the soils, definition of depths in which to place the sensors in the soils, placement of sensors at defined spots and depths in the soils, readout of the sensors at defined times, calculation of amounts of fertilizers/pesticides needed, based on the sensor readouts, and distribution of calculated amounts of fertilizers/pesticides on the soils.

SUMMARY

The present invention illustrates a system and a process for measuring the soil nutrient content before the application of fertilizers. The process is initiated by inserting the leads of various sensors in the soil and initiating the process of checking the parameters of the soil. All the sensors are connected proximally through various push-button switches. The switches are initiated, and the readings are taken through the sensors and data obtained therein is processed through the processor. The data obtained therein is displayed through suitable display means such as an LCD 105 or a mobile phone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TLE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages can be taken from the following description of a preferred embodiment in connection with the figures attached to this document, the description of the embodiment being exemplary only, without any intention to limit the scope of protection. The figures showing

Figure 1 illustrates the system of the one embodiment of the present invention

Figure 2 illustrates the process of the one embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures, and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof; are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment," "in another embodiment," and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting.

In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Figure 1 illustrates system 100 of measuring soil nutrition according to one aspect of the present invention. A central server 108 is installed at a suitable location and connected with sensors such as NPK sensor 101, capacitive soil moisture sensor 102, temperature sensor 103, soil pH sensor 104, etc., which helps to gather information from the soil, process them and transmit the data to a suitable medium such as a display means 105 or through wireless means 106 for mobile devices. In the present embodiment, the central server 108 is an Arduino platform.

The NPK sensor 101 helps to detect the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil. It helps in determining the fertility of the soil, thereby facilitating the systematic assessment of the soil condition. The sensor can be buried in the soil for a long time. It has a High-quality probe, rust resistance, electrolytic resistance, salt & alkali corrosion resistance to ensure the long-term operation of the probe part.

The capacitive soil moisture sensor 102 checks the basic moisture content of the soil. Alternatively, the capacitive soil moisture sensor 102 can also be a resistive sensor. The capacitive soil moisture sensor 102 gives the moisture level as output by measuring the volumetric content of water inside the soil.

The temperature sensor 103 measures the temperature precisely ranging from -55°C to +125°C with 0.5°C accuracy. The resolution of the temperature sensor is user-configurable to 9, 10, 11, or 12 bits.

The soil pH sensor 104 measures the soil acidity levels. Soil acidity monitoring is a crucial aspect of the maintenance of crop health. The optimum pH level is around in the range of 5.5 to 6.5. The soil nutrients are tied with the acidity level of the soil by optimizing the bioavailability of the nutrients in it. Besides nutrients, the pH of soil affects the presence of toxic elements, the structure of certain soils, and the activity of soil bacteria. For example, aluminum can leach from soils with a pH below 5.0 and cause plant toxicity. Soils with heavy clay content may become excessively hard or sticky at non-neutral pH. Lastly, a bacterial activity that assists in nutrient availability is optimized from pH 5.5 to 7.0. The power supply is made through a suitable battery (DC power supply) connected to the said system 100.

The wireless means 106, in the present embodiment, is a GSM module. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, and it uses GSM mobile telephone technology to provide a data link to a remote network. SIM900A Modem is built with Dual Band GSM-based SIM900A modem from SIMCOM. It works on frequencies 900MHz. SIM900A can search these two bands automatically. The frequency bands can also be set by AT Comnands. The baud rate is configurable from 1200-115200 through AT command. SIM900A is an ultra-compact and wireless module. The GSM Module 106 is used here for sending the Soil Nutrients data read from the Arduino board 108 on the mobile phone 107 of the user via SMS.

Accordingly, figure 2 illustrates the process 200 of measuring soil nutrition according to one aspect of the present invention. Process 200 is initiated 201 with inserting 202 the leads of the said sensors in the soil and initiating the process of checking 203 the parameters of the soil. All the sensors are connected proximally through a switch named push buttons (204, 206, 208 and 210, for moisture sensor 102, temperature sensor 103, soil pH sensor 104 and NPK sensor 101, respectively). The switches are initiated, and the readings are taken through the sensors and data obtained therein is processed through processor 108 (not shown). The data obtained therein is displayed through suitable display means such as an LCD 105 or a mobile phone 107. The information further helps in applying the optimum nutrition to the soil by fertilizers and manures.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof

While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.

The figures and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, the order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.

EDITORIAL NOTE 2021107280

There is 1 page of claims only.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS: We Claim:

1. A system for measuring soil nutrition comprising a central server connected to an NPK sensor, a soil moisture sensor, a temperature sensor and a soil pH sensor, a suitable display means and an optional wireless data transmission system, wherein said sensors gather information from the soil, process them and transmit the data to said suitable display medium or through wireless means for mobile devices.

2. The system for measuring soil nutrition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the NPK sensor helps to detect the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil for determining the fertility of the soil and thereby facilitating the systematic assessment of the soil condition.

3. The system for measuring soil nutrition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soil moisture sensor can either be capacitive or resistive.

4. The system for measuring soil nutrition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor measures the temperature precisely ranging from -55°C to +125°C, and the resolution of the temperature sensor is user-configurable to 9, 10, 11, or 12 bits.

5. A process for measuring soil nutrition comprising the steps of inserting the leads of the said sensors in the soil and initiating the process of checking the parameters of the soil, taking the readings from the soil and processing the information obtained from the soil through a processor followed by a display of the information through a suitable display means or transmitting the said information to a mobile phone device.