Soil infiltration state monitoring device and method

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of soil hydrology monitoring, and discloses a soil infiltration state monitoring device and method. The device adopts a filter cartridge type overall structure, and comprises a transmitter and an air pump arranged on a center support, and probes and signal valves uniformly distributed on the filter cartridge. The method is to collect the resistance value signals between each probe electrode by using the device, to calculate the water content of each measuring point, and to obtain the overall distribution of the soil infiltration state at different times after summarizing. After multiple monitoring, the filter cartridge is taken out from the soil, compressed air is introduced through the air pump, and each probe is cleaned by blowing, so that the technical pain points of easy clogging and difficult cleaning of the probe are solved. The application systematically improves the accuracy of soil infiltration data, and can be widely applied to long-term dynamic monitoring of soil infiltration states in fields, farmlands and water conservancy projects. The application also provides a non-transient readable recording medium storing the method program and a system containing the medium, and the program can be called by a processing circuit to execute the above method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of soil hydrological monitoring technology and discloses a soil infiltration state monitoring device, method, recording medium and system. Background Technology

[0002] Soil infiltration rate is a key parameter for characterizing soil hydrological properties, assessing soil and water conservation capacity, and supporting flash flood early warning and eco-hydrological model construction. Currently, existing technologies for monitoring soil infiltration mainly rely on traditional single-point, single-dimensional measurement equipment, with the dual-ring infiltrator being a representative example.

[0003] Traditional dual-ring infiltration meters typically consist of an outer iron ring, an outer circular ring, a connecting rod, an inner circular ring, and an inner iron ring. During implementation, they must be directly inserted into the soil to be monitored. The infiltration rate is calculated by manually recording the correlation between the infiltration volume and time over a specific period. However, such traditional devices are essentially single-point, one-dimensional passive measurement tools with significant technical limitations. First, the measurement dimensionality is limited, making it impossible to characterize three-dimensional transport patterns. Soil infiltration is a complex three-dimensional spatial transport process, and actual soil media typically exhibit anisotropic characteristics. Existing technologies can only acquire single infiltration data in the vertical direction of the soil, failing to reflect the dynamic differences in water infiltration across different dimensions. This results in monitoring data lacking spatial representativeness, making it difficult to meet the needs of high-precision spatial distribution data of soil moisture for applications such as flash flood warnings and eco-hydrological models. Although some improved devices attempt to increase monitoring points, they are still limited to collecting resistivity or moisture data in a single dimension, still unable to overcome the dimensional limitations and fully describe the physical process of soil infiltration.

[0004] Secondly, the monitoring methods are rigid and lack dynamic continuous capture capabilities. Traditional devices can either only measure the infiltration rate at a specific static time point or rely on manual, timed readings. This intermittent measurement method cannot accurately capture the disturbance moments of rapid soil pore filling and drastic changes in infiltration rate at the beginning of precipitation, nor can it simultaneously record the dynamic stage where the infiltration rate tends to stabilize after the soil is saturated with water. The resulting lack of time-series data severely restricts in-depth research and accurate prediction of transient changes in the soil infiltration process.

[0005] Finally, the system suffers from low integration and weak anti-interference and self-cleaning capabilities. Existing equipment lacks a unified signal distribution and frequency adjustment module, resulting in chaotic and poorly managed acquisition frequency settings for various sensors, which easily leads to signal interference and significant measurement errors. Simultaneously, soil particles and moisture readily adhere to the sensor surfaces, and residual substances from previous measurements interfere with each other, drastically reducing the accuracy of repeated measurements. Due to the lack of an effective cleaning mechanism, traditional devices often face industry pain points such as poor data stability and short service life during long-term field monitoring due to high cleaning and maintenance costs and cumbersome operation.

[0006] Therefore, developing a soil infiltration status monitoring device and method that can achieve accurate three-dimensional spatial monitoring, has dynamic continuous data acquisition capabilities, and is self-cleaning has become an urgent technical challenge to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a soil infiltration status monitoring device, comprising: a vertically placed filter cartridge structure; a support structure at the center of the filter cartridge for supporting the filter cartridge; multiple probes for detecting moisture content fixed circumferentially from the inside to the outside of the support structure with the central axis of the filter cartridge as the center; a ventilation and cleaning channel at the center of the support and housing electrical wires; and a transmitter for processing the data transmitted from each probe and an air pump connected to the ventilation and cleaning channel fixed at the top of the support center. The transmitter is electrically connected to each probe and also has the function of controlling the acquisition frequency of each probe.

[0008] Preferably, each probe is equipped with a signal valve, and the water-facing surface of the signal valve is perpendicular to the direction of the line connecting the two electrodes of the corresponding probe.

[0009] Preferably, each probe consists of three mutually perpendicular sub-probes, with a signal valve located on each sub-probe, and the direction of the line connecting the two electrodes of the corresponding sub-probe is perpendicular to the water-facing surface.

[0010] Preferably, when the filter cartridge is a square tube structure, the three dimensions of the sub-probes coincide with the longitudinal, latitudinal, and vertical directions of the support grid in the horizontal plane of the bracket, respectively; when the filter cartridge is a cylindrical structure, the directions of the three sub-probes coincide with the radial, tangential, and vertical directions of the cylinder, respectively.

[0011] Based on the above-mentioned device, the present invention also provides a method for monitoring soil infiltration status, comprising: acquiring the resistance value signal between the electrodes of each probe, processing it through a transmitter to obtain the water content at each measuring point, aligning the water content values ​​of each probe based on the opening time of the signal valve, and summarizing them to obtain the overall distribution of soil infiltration status at different times; after completing multiple monitoring, removing the filter cartridge from the soil, and using an air pump to introduce compressed air into the ventilation and cleaning channel to purge and clean each probe to ensure the stability of subsequent measurements of the device.

[0012] Furthermore, when using a soil infiltration monitoring device consisting of three mutually perpendicular sub-probes for each probe, the water content signals of each sub-probe are collected in the same order at the moment the signal valve is opened; if the filter cartridge is a cylindrical structure, the sub-probe monitoring data is converted into data in the three directions of the natural coordinate system XYZ through trigonometric functions, and then each dimension is summarized and calculated separately; during purging and cleaning, compressed air is used to purge and clean each sub-probe simultaneously through the ventilation and cleaning channel.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a non-transient readable recording medium for storing one or more programs containing multiple instructions, which, when executed, cause the processing circuit to perform the aforementioned method for monitoring soil infiltration status.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention provides a soil infiltration state monitoring system, including a processing circuit and a memory electrically coupled thereto, the memory being configured to store at least one program, the program containing multiple instructions, the processing circuit running the program, and capable of executing the aforementioned soil infiltration state monitoring method.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the soil infiltration state monitoring method, recording medium and system provided by the present invention can continuously collect three-dimensional electrical signals of soil infiltration from disturbance to stability through a three-dimensional distribution array of probes on the cylinder, breaking through the limitation of traditional devices that can only measure a single point in time and a single dimension, and simultaneously acquiring the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution characteristics of the infiltration process. When the device is cylindrical, a cylindrical coordinate system is first established for monitoring, and then the data is converted into an XYZ rectangular coordinate system. This method solves the problem of coordinate direction change caused by soil compression or device tilting during the burial process, ensuring that the spatial positioning of the monitoring data is always based on the geometric center of the device itself, and is not affected by errors such as burial operation, which significantly improves the reliability and repeatability of three-dimensional infiltration monitoring. The direct triggering mechanism of the signal valve ensures continuous data acquisition from the initial moment of infiltration, with a response time of ≤0.03 seconds and a trigger timing error of ≤0.5 seconds. It fully captures all dynamic changes from the disturbance period to the stable period, with no data loss or time interruption, and achieves continuous monitoring throughout the entire process. The probes are set to a uniform acquisition frequency via a transmitter, and the acquisition work starts and ends synchronously at the same time. The time error between each sensor does not exceed 0.06 seconds, avoiding data loss or corruption caused by inconsistent frequencies of multiple devices, and greatly improving the stability and data validity of long-term continuous monitoring. The probe features a dual self-cleaning function of air washing and filter element. After monitoring is completed, the probe surface can be quickly blown to thoroughly remove soil particles and moisture residues adhering to the probe, preventing soil and moisture from the previous monitoring from affecting the next measurement. This ensures that each monitoring is carried out in a clean and stable state, effectively eliminating mutual interference between monitoring sessions and enabling repeated high-precision use. This technology can output various results such as infiltration rate time variation curves, duration of disturbance and stable periods, three-dimensional resistivity data, and three-dimensional water content data, meeting the diverse needs of different application scenarios such as farmland irrigation optimization, flash flood early warning, and ecological restoration assessment. The complete and standardized monitoring process formed by this technology adopts one-click operation from device deployment, parameter setting, data acquisition to cleaning and storage. It is simple to operate, and the monitoring methods are unified and standardized with fixed steps. It has high accuracy, extremely simple operation and stability, which can meet the needs of scientific research, engineering, agriculture and other fields. It is especially suitable for unattended long-term field monitoring scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device storage structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation method of the soil infiltration status monitoring device in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a horizontal cross-section in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the top toolbox in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the spatial relationship between the signal valve and the probe in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the probe distribution on the facade of the device in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional columnar monitoring range in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the installation state inside the soil in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] In the diagram: 1. Handle; 11. Anti-slip mat; 12. Ground surface; 13. Soil; 14. Monitoring range; 2. Telescopic rod; 21. Spring locking mechanism; 3. Tool box; 31. Battery; 32. Air pump; 33. Transmitter; 34. Hard disk; 35. Battery charging port cover; 36. Control panel; 361. Power switch; 362. USB interface cover; 363. Function selection key; 4. Filter cartridge; 41. Infiltration surface; 42. Signal valve; 43. Probe; 5. Support structure; 51. Conduit; 52. Transmitter-probe connection cable; 53. Ventilation and cleaning channel; 54. Transmitter-signal valve connection cable; 6. Handle; 7. Container lid; 8. Storage container; 9. Inner cavity; 10. Roller. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without innovative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Preparation of Soil Infiltration Status Monitoring Device (Device Example) A cylindrical coordinate system was established: The origin O was taken as the center of the infiltration surface, with the vertically downward direction defined as the positive Z-axis. The radial axis (R-axis) radiating outwards from the origin O in the horizontal plane, and the tangential axis (θ-axis) rotating counterclockwise around the Z-axis, forming a standard cylindrical coordinate system. After establishing the coordinate system, a laser level and angle gauge were used to calibrate each axis, ensuring that the Z-axis was perpendicular to the horizontal plane and that the R-axis and θ-axis were orthogonal in the horizontal plane. This provided a unified benchmark for subsequent cylindrical coordinate signal acquisition, spatial positioning, and data analysis. This coordinate system perfectly matched the axisymmetric geometry of the device. The definitions of the R-axis and θ-axis were based on the device itself, avoiding the problem of changes in the X and Y direction benchmarks caused by the installation operation in a rectangular coordinate system.

[0020] Deploying the probe array 43: Six sets of probes 43 are evenly deployed radially on the insulating substrate of the infiltration surface 41 to form a cylindrical coordinate three-dimensional monitoring array. The radial and tangential spacing of adjacent probes 43 are kept consistent to ensure that the monitoring range 14 is interconnected, without overlapping blind spots or spatial omissions. Each probe 43 has a built-in three-dimensional sub-probe array, and the sub-probes are strictly aligned with the three directions of R (radial), θ (tangential), and Z (axial). They are connected to the signal valve 42 through the transmitter-signal valve connection line 54, and the signal transmission and reception directions are completely consistent with the coordinate system. After the deployment is completed, each probe is numbered and the cylindrical coordinates (R, θ, Z) of each sensor are recorded to form a sensor point table to ensure that subsequent data can be accurately mapped to the specific location in the three-dimensional space under the cylindrical coordinate system.

[0021] Thus, the soil infiltration monitoring device is a vertically placed filter cartridge structure. A support structure 5 is provided at the center of the filter cartridge 4 to support the filter cartridge 4. Multiple probes 43 for detecting water content are fixed in a circumferential direction from the inside to the outside on the support structure 5 with the central axis of the filter cartridge 4 as the center. The center of the support is a ventilation and cleaning channel 53 and is provided with a conduit 51 to accommodate the transmitter-probe connection line 52. A transmitter 33 for processing the data returned by each probe 43 and an air pump 32 connected to the ventilation and cleaning channel 53 are fixed at the top of the support. The transmitter 33 is electrically connected to each probe 43 and also has the function of controlling the acquisition frequency of each sub-probe 43.

[0022] The filter cartridge 4 is placed inside a storage container 8 with a container lid 7 on top and rollers 10 on the bottom. The container lid 7 has a handle 6 on the top and an anti-slip pad 11 on the outer side. The inner wall of the storage container 8 is detachably fixed to a handle 1 covered with the anti-slip pad 11. The transmitter 33 and the air pump 32 are placed inside a tool box 3, which is fixed to the top center of the bracket. The inner cavity 9 also has a battery 31 and a hard drive 34 fixed inside. A telescopic rod 2 is connected to the top center. The telescopic rod 2 is adjusted in length by a spring locking mechanism 21. Its other end is used to connect vertically to the handle 1 to form a handle. The outer surface of the tool box 3 has a battery charging port cover 35 and a control panel 36. The control panel 36 has a 361, a power switch 361, a USB interface cover 362, and a function selection key 363.

[0023] During installation, place the storage container 8 on a gentle slope, hold the anti-slip pad 11 and unscrew the container cap 7, take out the handle 1 and the soil infiltration status monitoring device, adjust the length of the telescopic rod 2 according to the monitoring depth requirements, keep it 0.5 meters above the ground surface 12, and ensure that the middle of the infiltration surface 41 is buried at a depth of 20cm to ensure that the infiltration surface 41 is in close contact with the soil 13, and screw the middle of the handle 1 to the top of the telescopic rod 2.

[0024] Example of Soil Infiltration Status Monitoring Method Press the power switch 361 and the function selection key 363 to uniformly set the acquisition frequency through the transmitter 33. The acquisition frequency is 1 time / minute during the disturbance period and 1 time / 5 minutes during the stable period. All probes 43 work synchronously at the same frequency. When the signal valve 42 opens, the water content signals of each sub-probe are acquired in the same order. The acquisition time of the three sub-probes of the same probe is the default time when the signal valve 42 of that probe is first opened. After confirming that the power supply is normal, the signal transmission is stable, and the probe surface is clean, the device enters the standby state.

[0025] At the monitoring point, dig a pit that meets the monitoring requirements with a shovel. After leveling the bottom of the pit, slowly lower the filter cartridge 4 vertically so that the device is gradually buried in the soil. During the lowering process, check the verticality with a level every 20cm and adjust the pressure direction in time to ensure that the infiltration surface 41 is upright. Stop lowering when the infiltration surface reaches the monitoring depth.

[0026] Fill the pit and spread the soil evenly on the infiltration surface 41 sensing area; press the power switch 361 on the control panel 36 of the tool box 3. The button indicator light will turn green, indicating that the power supply is normal; check the flashing frequency of the hard drive indicator light to confirm that the hard drive has entered the standby state; let it stand for 5 minutes and observe that the indicator light status does not change, indicating that the device has entered the stable standby mode, and then the device will enter the working state.

[0027] Tie one end of the rope to the top of the telescopic pole 2, and the other end to a nearby tree or ground anchor. The rope tension should be moderate to prevent the device from tilting.

[0028] Triggering start-up phase: In the early stage of precipitation (e.g., 08:00 on 01-01), water flows infiltrate to the infiltration surface 41 and passes through the signal valve 42. The signal valve 42 directly triggers the probe 43 to start, and the hard disk begins to store three-dimensional data. The triggering timing is 0.3 seconds off from the precipitation start time. Monitoring during the disturbance period: From 08:00 to 10:30 on January 1st, soil resistivity began to decrease. Each probe collected R values ​​in cylindrical coordinates at a frequency of 1 minute per measurement. The three-dimensional data in the Z, A, and Z directions were directly transferred to the hard disk for storage, and a total of 150 sets of abnormal three-dimensional data were collected. Stable period monitoring: 10:30 on January 1st to 12:00 on January 2nd, the resistivity finally stabilized, a total of 1530 sets of cylindrical coordinate 3D data were stored, the 3D data had good continuity, and the time synchronization error of all probe acquisition was ≤0.06 seconds; Data Export and Processing: After monitoring, remove the device, start the air pump 32, and complete the probe air cleaning in 10 seconds; turn off the power switch, open the USB interface cover 362, and export the 3D data from the hard drive to the computer via the data cable, which takes 1 minute; run the coordinate transformation program according to the formula: The cylindrical coordinate data of each monitoring point is converted into XYZ rectangular coordinate data. Combined with temperature records, the data is corrected by a correction factor of 0.02 / ℃. After correction, the data fluctuations are more stable. By combining three-dimensional data with soil physical parameters (porosity, initial moisture content, etc.), the time dynamics of soil infiltration from disturbance to stability can be analyzed, and key parameters such as the infiltration rate time change curve and the duration of disturbance or stable periods can be obtained.

[0029] Untie the binding rope, use a shovel to clear the soil 10cm away from the device, screw on the handle 1, hold the anti-slip pad 11 with both hands and pull the device out of the soil. Use a soft brush to clean the soil residue on the telescopic rod 2 and filter cartridge 4. Wipe the surface of the signal valve and sensor with a damp cloth, avoiding vigorous scraping. Press each spring bead of the telescopic rod 2 to retract the sleeve section by section until it is retracted to the shortest state. Gently shake the rod to confirm that it is locked. Retract the filter cartridge 4 and place it into the corresponding groove of the storage container 8; place the handle 1 into the dedicated fixing groove, tighten the container cap 7, and rotate clockwise until fully engaged; lift the handle 6 or push the storage container 8 to move the device via the rollers 10.

[0030] Assembling the above methods and steps into a program and storing it on a hard disk or other non-transitory storage medium constitutes an embodiment of the "non-transitory readable recording medium" of the present invention; and electrically connecting the storage medium to a computer processor, and enabling soil infiltration status monitoring through data processing, constitutes an embodiment of the "soil infiltration status monitoring system" of the present invention.

[0031] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computers or available storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0032] This invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0033] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0034] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A soil infiltration status monitoring device, characterized in that, The system includes a vertically placed filter cartridge structure; a support structure at the center of the filter cartridge; multiple probes for detecting water content are fixed circumferentially around the central axis of the filter cartridge; the center of the support structure is a ventilation and cleaning channel that also houses electrical wires; and a transmitter that processes the signals transmitted from each probe and an air pump connected to the ventilation and cleaning channel are fixed at the top of the support structure. The transmitter is electrically connected to each probe and also has the function of controlling the acquisition frequency of each probe.

2. The soil infiltration status monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each probe is equipped with a signal valve, and the water-facing surface of the signal valve is perpendicular to the direction of the line connecting the two electrodes of the corresponding probe.

3. The soil infiltration status monitoring device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each probe consists of three mutually perpendicular sub-probes. The signal valve is located on each sub-probe, and the direction of the line connecting the two electrodes of the corresponding sub-probe is perpendicular to the water-facing side.

4. The soil infiltration status monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the filter cartridge is a square tube structure, the three dimensions of the sub-probes coincide with the longitudinal, latitudinal, and vertical directions of the support grid in the horizontal plane of the bracket, respectively; when the filter cartridge is a cylindrical structure, the directions of the three sub-probes coincide with the radial, tangential, and vertical directions of the cylinder, respectively.

5. A method for monitoring soil infiltration status, characterized in that, Using the soil infiltration state monitoring device according to any one of claims 1-4, the resistance value signal between the electrodes of each probe is collected, and the water content of each measuring point is obtained after processing by the transmitter. Based on the opening time of the signal valve, the water content values ​​of each probe are aligned, and the overall distribution of soil infiltration state at different times is obtained by summarizing. After completing multiple monitoring, the filter cartridge is removed from the soil, and compressed air is introduced into the ventilation and cleaning channel through an air pump to purge and clean each probe to ensure the stability of subsequent measurements of the device.

6. The method for monitoring soil infiltration status according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the soil infiltration state monitoring device as described in claim 3 or 4 is used, the water content signals of each sub-probe are collected in the same order at the moment the signal valve is opened; if the filter cartridge is a cylindrical structure, the monitoring data of the sub-probes are converted into data in the three directions of the natural coordinate system XYZ by trigonometric functions, and then each dimension is summarized and calculated separately; during purging and cleaning, compressed air is used to purge and clean each sub-probe simultaneously through the ventilation and cleaning channel.

7. A non-transitory readable recording medium for storing one or more programs containing multiple instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed, the processing circuit will perform a soil infiltration state monitoring method according to any one of claims 5-6.

8. A soil infiltration status monitoring system, comprising a processing circuit and a memory electrically coupled thereto, characterized in that, The memory is configured to store at least one program, the program containing multiple instructions, and the processing circuit runs the program to execute the soil infiltration state monitoring method according to any one of claims 5-6.

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