Monitoring device for farm

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to a monitoring device (100) for monitoring a farm environment. The monitoring device (100) includes: a sensor (120) located within a housing body (110) for measuring environmental conditions including temperature and humidity; a port (130) on the housing body (110) sealed with a hydrophobic membrane (140) communicating to the sensor (120) while preventing liquid and particles from intruding, while allowing air to pass therethrough; and a cover member (150) over the port (130) to protect the sensor (120) from animal attacks, where the cover member (150) is spaced apart from the housing body (110) to facilitate air communication to the sensor (120).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to monitoring devices for farms. More specifically, the present disclosure describes various embodiments of monitoring devices for monitoring farm environments. Background Art

[0002] The National Geographic Society defines agriculture as the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops, and raising livestock. Crops are grown and livestock are raised in agricultural environments or farms for various purposes, including producing food for human consumption. Environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity can affect agricultural productivity. For example, too high or too low temperature and / or humidity levels can cause discomfort to livestock and / or increase the risk of disease, thereby reducing productivity. An imbalance in temperature and / or humidity levels can have an adverse effect on plants and may cause the overall crop harvest to be wasted. Therefore, farms usually have thermometers and hygrometers to measure temperature and humidity and check whether they are within acceptable levels. However, thermometers and hygrometers are installed in farms, and they are subject to severe weather conditions, such as heavy rain or strong sunlight. Sensitive electronic components in thermometers and hygrometers may be damaged by, for example, rainwater infiltration. In addition, thermometers and hygrometers are vulnerable to attacks by livestock, birds, rodents, etc., and sensitive electronic components may be damaged.

[0003] Therefore, in order to solve or alleviate at least one of the above problems and / or disadvantages, there is a need to provide an improved monitoring device for monitoring a farm environment. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is a monitoring device for monitoring the environment of a farm. The monitoring device comprises:

[0005] Shell body;

[0006] A set of sensors located in the housing body for measuring environmental conditions, the sensors including a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor for measuring temperature and humidity of the environment;

[0007] a set of ports on the housing body for exposing the sensor to the environment to measure environmental conditions;

[0008] a set of hydrophobic membranes for sealing the ports to prevent the intrusion of liquids and particles while allowing air to pass through the hydrophobic membranes to the sensors so that the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor can measure the temperature and humidity of the air; and

[0009] A cover member is coupleable to the housing body over the port to protect the sensor from animal attack, the cover member being spaced apart from the housing body to facilitate air communication to the sensor through the hydrophobic membrane.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention discloses a device, system and method for monitoring a farm environment according to the present invention. The various features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are only non-limiting examples. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1A and Figure 1B is a diagram of a monitoring device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C is a diagram of a monitoring device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 3 It is a block diagram of a monitoring system including a set of monitoring devices and a computer system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] For the sake of brevity and clarity, the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is directed to a monitoring device for monitoring a farm environment, according to the accompanying drawings. Although various aspects of the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with the embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that they are not intended to limit the present disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of the embodiments described herein, which are included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. In addition, in the following detailed description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, individuals with ordinary skills in the art (i.e., technicians) will recognize that the present disclosure can be practiced without the specific details, and / or practiced using multiple details resulting from a combination of various aspects of a particular embodiment. In many cases, well-known systems, methods, procedures, and components are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the description of a given element in a particular figure or consideration or use of a particular element number or reference thereto in corresponding descriptive materials may encompass the same, equivalent, or similar elements or element numbers identified in another figure or descriptive materials related thereto.

[0016] References to "an embodiment / example", "another embodiment / example", "some embodiments / examples", "some other embodiments / examples", etc. indicate that the (multiple) embodiments / (multiple) examples described in this manner may include specific features, structures, characteristics, attributes, elements, or limitations, but not every embodiment / example necessarily includes the specific features, structures, characteristics, attributes, elements, or limitations. In addition, repeated use of the phrase "in an embodiment / example" or "in another embodiment / example" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / example.

[0017] The terms "comprise", "include", "have", etc. do not exclude the presence of other features / elements / steps than those listed in the embodiment. The description of certain features / elements / steps in different embodiments does not mean that the combination of these features / elements / steps cannot be used in the embodiment.

[0018] As used herein, the terms "a" and "an" are defined as one or more than one. Unless otherwise indicated, the use of " / " in the figures or related text should be understood to mean "and / or". The term "group" is defined as a non-empty finite organization of elements that mathematically exhibits a cardinality of at least 1 according to known mathematical definitions (e.g., a group as defined herein can correspond to a unit, a group of units or a group of single elements, or a group of multiple elements).

[0019] In a representative or exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, there is a monitoring device 100 for monitoring a farm environment. A farm may be a farm that raises livestock (such as cattle, goats, pigs and / or poultry) to produce food such as meat, milk and eggs. Alternatively, a farm may be a farm that grows plants and cultivates food crops. Further alternatively, a farm may be a farm that produces both livestock and food crops. Figure 1A and Figure 1B A first embodiment of the monitoring device 100 is shown, and FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C A second embodiment of a monitoring device 100 is shown.

[0020] like Figures 1A to 2C As shown, the monitoring device 100 includes a housing body 110 for accommodating various components of the monitoring device 100 therein. The monitoring device 100 includes a set of one or more sensors 120 located in the housing body 110 for measuring environmental conditions. In this example, the sensor 120 includes a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor for measuring the temperature and humidity of the environment. The monitoring device 100 includes a set of ports 130 located on the housing body 110 for exposing the sensor 120 to the environment to measure the environmental conditions. The monitoring device 100 includes a set of hydrophobic membranes 140 for sealing the ports 130 to prevent the intrusion of liquids and particles, while allowing air to pass through the hydrophobic membranes 140 to communicate with the sensor 120, so that the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor can measure the temperature and humidity of the air.

[0021] Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air, and humidity sensors and humidity sensors and / or hygrometers measure this parameter. In many embodiments, the humidity sensor is configured to measure relative humidity, which is the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the maximum possible amount at that temperature measured by the temperature sensor or thermometer. In one example, the accuracy of the humidity sensor is about ±2% over the operating range of 20%RH to 80%RH. In one example sensor, the measurement range of the temperature sensor can be from 0°C to 80°C with an accuracy of about ±0.2°C.

[0022] In order for the humidity sensor to measure water vapor in the air, moisture must reach the humidity sensor contained in the housing body 110. Existing hygrometers are exposed to ambient air in an open manner so that they can reliably measure water vapor in the air. However, excessive moisture (especially in rainy conditions or even snowing) can cause water damage to existing hygrometers and nearby electronic components, and their service life may end prematurely. The monitoring device 100 provides a hydrophobic membrane 140 to solve this problem. The hydrophobic membrane 140 is a porous semi-permeable membrane that is configured to allow humid air (i.e., air and water vapor) to pass through. In addition, the hydrophobic membrane 140 repels liquid water and other liquids, thereby filtering out liquids and solid particles and preventing them from passing through. Therefore, the hydrophobic membrane 140 prevents liquids and particles from invading the sensor 120 in the port 130 and the housing body 110, thereby preventing the sensor 120 and other electronic components in the housing body 110 from being damaged by liquid and particle intrusion. At the same time, the hydrophobic membrane 140 allows humid air to flow through and reach the sensor 120, so that the temperature and humidity of the air can still be reliably measured.

[0023] The housing body 110, together with the port 130 sealed with a hydrophobic membrane 140, seals the sensor 120 and other electronic components within the housing body 110, protecting them from the intrusion of liquids and particles. Preferably, the housing body 110 has an intrusion protection rating of at least IP65, which means that dust intrusion and water jets from any direction are completely prevented.

[0024] In such Figure 2C In the example shown, one sensor 120 is paired with one port 130 and one hydrophobic membrane 140 that seals the port 130. In the example, one sensor is paired with multiple ports 130, and each port 130 is sealed with a respective hydrophobic membrane 140. In the example, one sensor is paired with multiple ports 130, and the multiple ports 130 are sealed with a common hydrophobic membrane 140. In the example, there are multiple sensors 120, and each sensor 120 is paired with a respective port 130, and the multiple sensors 120 are sealed with respective hydrophobic membranes 140 (such as Figure 2B ) or a common hydrophobic membrane 140. In the example, multiple sensors 120 are paired with a common port 130 and a common hydrophobic membrane 140. Although some non-limiting examples have been described above, it is understood that the monitoring device 100 can have various combinations and arrangements of sensors 120, ports 130, and hydrophobic membranes 140 according to the needs of the monitoring device 100.

[0025] The monitoring device 100 also includes a cover member 150 that can be coupled to the housing body 110 over the port 130 to protect the sensor 120 and the hydrophobic membrane 140 from damage, such as due to animal attacks, rough handling of the monitoring device 100, sharp objects, severe weather or environmental conditions, etc. The cover member 150 can be integrally formed with or coupled to the housing body 110, or removably coupled to the housing body 110. The cover member 150 is spaced apart from the housing body 110 (forming a gap 152) to facilitate air communication through the hydrophobic membrane 140 to the sensor 120.

[0026] When the monitoring device 100 is installed in a farm where livestock such as cattle, pigs, goats or poultry are raised, the monitoring device 100 is preferably placed at the height level of the livestock to obtain accurate measurements of the environmental conditions that the livestock are in. For example, the monitoring device 100 can be placed at a height level (relative to the ground) of about 10 cm to about 100 cm or more, depending on the height of the livestock, which can vary for cattle, pigs, goats or poultry. For a farm where poultry is raised, the monitoring device 100 can be placed at a height level of about 20 cm.

[0027] Since the monitoring device 100 is placed at the height level of the animals, some animals may attempt to attack the monitoring device 100, depending on the animals' aggressiveness toward foreign objects in their environment. For example, pigs tend to eat more aggressively than other livestock. In addition, depending on the height level, the monitoring device 100 may attract flying animals such as birds to fly toward and attack the monitoring device 100. Therefore, the cover member 150 protects the port 130 and the sensor 120 below from attacks by livestock as well as attacks by birds, which may peck at the port 130 and damage the hydrophobic membrane 140 and / or the sensor 120 if the cover member 150 is removed or damaged.

[0028] It will be appreciated that the monitoring device 100 may be modified as desired by the design (e.g., based on the type of livestock animal and / or the environment of the farm). For example, if the animal is larger and / or more aggressive toward foreign objects, the housing body 110 may be made larger so that the monitoring device 100 is less susceptible to damage from attacks by these animals. The housing body 110 may be designed in a variety of colors as desired by the design. More specifically, it has been found that if the housing body 110 is white, birds are less likely to interfere with and attack the monitoring device 100, and the risk of damage is lower.

[0029] In addition, since the monitoring device 100 is placed relatively close to the ground, it may be more exposed to the harsh conditions of the farm, such as when cleaning the farm. For example, rough cleaning equipment such as water jets and chemicals may be used to clean the farm. The cover member 150 and the hydrophobic membrane 140 can protect the sensor 120 and other internal components inside the housing body 110, especially sensitive electronic components that may be corroded by chemical agents.

[0030] exist FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C In the second embodiment shown, the sensor 120 may also include a pressure sensor for measuring the atmospheric pressure of the air. The measurement range of the pressure sensor may be 26 kPa to 126 kPa. The sensor 120 may also include one or more gas sensors for measuring the amount of one or more gases in the air. For example, the gas sensor may include a carbon dioxide (CO2) gas sensor for measuring the amount of CO2 in the air. The measurement range of the CO2 gas sensor may be about 400 ppm to about 10,000 ppm, or preferably 400 ppm to about 4,000 ppm, with an accuracy of about ±3%.

[0031] exist FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C In the second embodiment shown, the monitoring device 100 may further include an illumination sensor 160 located inside the housing body 110 for measuring the light intensity in the environment. Farms may provide various types of lighting, such as sunlight, LED light, fluorescence, and light of specific colors, to help the growth of animals and crops on the farm. The monitoring device 100 may further include a transparent member 162, which is located on the housing body 110 and covers the illumination sensor 160 to protect the illumination sensor 160 from animal attacks. Similar to the cover member 150 that protects the sensor 120, the transparent member 162 is used to protect the illumination sensor 160. In addition, the transparent member 162 is optically transparent so that the illumination sensor 160 can reliably measure the light intensity of the lighting in the farm environment. The measurement range of the illumination sensor 160 can be from about 0.01 lux to about 83,000 lux.

[0032] It should be understood that reference Figures 1A to 2C The first and second embodiments described may include any combination of sensors 120 (including temperature sensors, humidity sensors, air pressure sensors, and gas sensors) and illumination sensors 160. In these embodiments, the monitoring device 100 may also include a set of electronic components located within the housing body 110, including a computer processor for processing data measured by the sensors 120 and the illumination sensor 160 (if applicable) (collectively referred to as sensors 120, 160). Therefore, the data may include data about the temperature, humidity, pressure, gas composition (e.g., CO2), and / or light intensity of the environment.

[0033] The electronic components may also include wireless communication components for transmitting data to a remote computer system 200 for remote monitoring of the farm's environment. The electronic components may also include an antenna 172 for enhancing wireless communication with the remote computer system 200. The electronic components and sensors 120, 160 may be integrated in a printed circuit board (PCB) 170.

[0034] The computer processor can be configured to control the sensors 120, 160 and the wireless communication components to perform measurements (e.g., at predefined intervals or for a specific duration) and transmit data (e.g., at predefined intervals, continuously, or in some combination). For example, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor can be controlled to perform measurements continuously and / or at predefined intervals (e.g., at intervals of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes), the CO2 gas sensor can be controlled to perform measurements continuously and / or at predefined intervals (e.g., at intervals of 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, or 30 seconds), and the wireless communication components can be controlled to transmit data continuously and / or at predefined intervals (e.g., at intervals of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes). The computer processor can be configured to adjust the measurement intervals and transmission intervals as needed (e.g., based on instructions received from the remote computer system 200).

[0035] The electronics also include one or more power sources 174, such as rechargeable batteries 174 for powering the electronics and sensors 120, 160. In one embodiment, the power source 174 is a rechargeable battery connected to the PCB 170 and can last for about 40 days on a full charge. In addition, the housing body 110 housing the battery 174 also seals any chemical leaks from the battery 174 within the housing body 110, thereby protecting the farm from such chemical leaks.

[0036] In the representative or exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, reference is made to Figure 3 , there is a monitoring system 300 for monitoring the farm environment. The monitoring system 300 includes a set of monitoring devices 100 distributed in the farm. It is understood that the monitoring devices 100 can be arranged at key locations in the farm to fully understand the environmental conditions of the entire farm. The monitoring devices 100 can be arranged in sub-areas of the farm, such as in specific warehouses or yards.

[0037] The monitoring system 300 may also include a remote computer system 200 that communicates with the monitoring device 100 for remotely monitoring the environment of the farm. More specifically, the remote computer system 200 includes a gateway server that manages a secure gateway connection to the network of the monitoring device 100 and the configuration of the network. The remote computer system 200 and the wireless communication components of the monitoring device 100 are configured to communicate with each other using a suitable wireless communication protocol.

[0038] In many embodiments, the communication between the monitoring device 100 and the remote computer system 200 is based on the use of Normative Wireless communication protocol. The specification is a low-power wide-area (LPWA) network protocol that supports long-distance data transmission of up to several kilometers, making it suitable for farms spanning large areas of land.

[0039] In order to achieve wireless communication between the monitoring device 100 and the remote computer system 200, the monitoring device 100 first needs to be paired with the remote computer system 200. The monitoring device 100 may be pre-programmed or pre-defined with a set of identification data or credentials, such as a network address for communicating within a network centered on the remote computer system 200. An example of a network address is a media access control (MAC) address. The specification describes certain device credentials that should be predefined for the monitoring device 100 .

[0040] also, The specification provides a large network capacity for a network of monitoring devices 100, making it suitable for use with many monitoring devices 100 distributed over a large area, which can be connected to a single remote computer system 200. This greatly reduces the cost of deploying multiple computer systems 200 and the manpower required to operate and maintain them. Therefore, using the monitoring system 300 can help reduce operating costs and increase productivity and income sources on the farm.

[0041] The remote computer system 200 may also include an online interface 240 for viewing the data. The online interface may include various functions, such as data analysis, for analyzing the data to check whether they are within acceptable levels and to assess the environmental conditions of the farm.

[0042] Thus, monitoring the farm's environment allows for early remedial action to be taken when environmental conditions exceed acceptable levels. This reduces the risk that a harsh environment could cause damage to food crops and livestock. Additionally, for livestock, the monitoring device 100 is placed at the height level of the animal so that environmental conditions can be measured more accurately. A more realistic assessment of the farm environment in which the livestock is located can be made, and more effective remedial action can be taken. If the animals are kept comfortable on the farm, their risk of illness and mortality can be reduced. Thus, the farm is at a lower risk of reduced productivity due to a harsh environment, which results in a loss of income.

[0043] Some non-limiting examples of remote computer system 200 include computers, laptops, minicomputers, mainframe computers, any non-transient tangible machines that can execute machine-readable code, cloud-based servers, distributed server networks, and computer system networks. As used herein, a server is a physical or cloud data processing system on which a server program runs. The server can be implemented in hardware or software or a combination thereof. In addition, remote computer system 200 includes a processor, a memory, and various other modules or components. The modules and their components are configured to perform various operations or steps and are configured as part of the processor. Such operations or steps are performed in response to non-transient instructions operated or executed by the processor. The memory is used to store instructions and possible data read during program execution. In some cases, the memory may be referred to as a computer-readable storage medium and / or a non-transient computer-readable medium. Non-transient computer-readable media include all computer-readable media, with the only exception being the transient propagation signal itself.

[0044] In the foregoing detailed description, embodiments of the present disclosure regarding a monitoring device for monitoring a farm environment are described with reference to the provided drawings. The descriptions of various embodiments herein are not intended to invoke or be limited solely to specific or particular representations of the present disclosure, but are merely non-limiting examples of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to address at least one of the problems and issues described herein that are related to the prior art. Although only some embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure that various changes and / or modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure, as well as the scope of the following claims, is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A monitoring device for monitoring the environment of a farm, the monitoring device comprising: Shell body; a set of sensors located in the housing body, for measuring the conditions of the environment, the sensors comprising a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor for measuring the temperature and humidity of the environment; a set of ports on the housing body for exposing the sensor to the environment to measure environmental conditions; a set of hydrophobic membranes for sealing the ports to prevent the intrusion of liquids and particles while allowing air to pass through the hydrophobic membranes to communicate with the sensors, so that the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor can measure the temperature and humidity of the air; as well as A cover member is coupleable to the housing body over the port to protect the sensor from animal attack, the cover member being spaced apart from the housing body to facilitate air communication to the sensor through the hydrophobic membrane.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein: The sensors also include a barometric pressure sensor for measuring the atmospheric pressure of the air.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The sensor also includes one or more gas sensors for measuring the amount of one or more gases in the air.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein: The gas comprises carbon dioxide.

5. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: An illumination sensor located in the housing body, used to measure the light intensity in the environment; as well as A transparent component is located on the housing body and covers the illumination sensor to protect the illumination sensor from being attacked by animals.

6. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a set of electronic components located within the housing body, the electronic components comprising a computer processor for processing data measured by the sensor.

7. The monitoring device according to claim 6, wherein: The electronic components also include wireless communication components for transmitting the data to a remote computer system for remote monitoring of the farm's environment.

8. The monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein: The wireless communication component is configured to use Wireless communication protocol.

9. The monitoring device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The computer processor is configured to control the wireless communication component to transmit the data to the remote computer system at predefined intervals.

10. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 6 or 9, wherein: The computer processor is configured to control the sensor to perform measurements at predefined intervals.

11. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The housing body has an ingress protection rating of at least IP65.

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