18203517. Portable Agricultural Robot for Continuous Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity Measurements to Improve Irrigation Practices simplified abstract (THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA)
Portable Agricultural Robot for Continuous Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity Measurements to Improve Irrigation Practices
Organization Name
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Inventor(s)
Konstantinos Karydis of Laguna Beach CA (US)
Elia Scudiero of Riverside CA (US)
Merrick Campbell of Riverside CA (US)
Dimitrios Chatziparaschis of Riverside CA (US)
Portable Agricultural Robot for Continuous Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity Measurements to Improve Irrigation Practices - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18203517 titled 'Portable Agricultural Robot for Continuous Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity Measurements to Improve Irrigation Practices
Simplified Explanation
The patent application describes an apparatus and method for determining soil moisture in agricultural fields.
- The apparatus includes a mobile platform that moves across the field and a sensor that is physically attached to the platform.
- The sensor measures the apparent electrical conductivity of the soil.
- A control system mounted on the platform is connected to the sensor and collects the measurements.
The method involves several steps:
- The mobile platform navigates the field and generates real-time position and orientation data.
- The sensor takes soil conductivity measurements and synchronizes them with the position data.
- The measurements are then mapped and logged in real-time.
- Finally, the measurements are processed to calculate the soil moisture value.
Potential applications of this technology include:
- Precision agriculture: Farmers can use the soil moisture data to optimize irrigation and fertilizer application, leading to improved crop yield and resource efficiency.
- Environmental monitoring: The technology can be used to assess soil moisture levels in natural ecosystems, helping with land management and conservation efforts.
This technology solves the following problems:
- Accurate and efficient measurement of soil moisture: The mobile platform and sensor provide real-time data collection, eliminating the need for manual measurements and reducing labor costs.
- Spatial variability: By mapping and logging the measurements, the technology accounts for variations in soil moisture across the field, allowing for targeted interventions.
The benefits of this technology include:
- Improved crop yield: By optimizing irrigation and fertilizer application based on accurate soil moisture data, farmers can increase their productivity.
- Resource efficiency: Precise measurement and targeted interventions reduce water and fertilizer waste, leading to more sustainable agricultural practices.
- Time and labor savings: The automated data collection and processing streamline the soil moisture monitoring process, saving farmers time and reducing labor requirements.
Original Abstract Submitted
Apparatus and methods for determining soil moisture. An apparatus includes a mobile platform to traverse an agricultural field, a sensor physically coupled to the mobile platform, the sensor to make one or more soil apparent electrical conductivity measurements, and a control system mounted on the chassis and communicatively coupled to the sensor. A method includes navigating an agricultural field with a mobile platform, generating a real-time position and orientation for the mobile platform, performing one or more soil apparent electrical conductivity measurements from a sensor physically coupled to the mobile platform, synchronizing the one or more soil apparent electrical conductivity measurements with the real-time position, geospatial mapping and autonomously logging the one or more soil apparent electrical conductivity measurements, and processing each of the one or more soil apparent electrical conductivity measurements to generate a soil moisture value.
