Automatic soil detection method with long maintenance period

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic soil detection method with a long maintenance period, belongs to the technical field of soil detection, and solves the problems of high power consumption, insufficient automation degree, high economic and labor cost and long maintenance and calibration period of the existing soil detection device. The method comprises the steps that a soil detection terminal is arranged in soil to be detected, and an unmanned aerial vehicle is adopted to emit radio frequency energy above a detection point; the soil detection terminal is awakened after capturing radio frequency energy, converts the radio frequency energy into electric energy, and transmits the electric energy as an awakening signal to the power control device to supply power to each module; the terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to move out of the protection device; the soil sensor collects soil data and transmits the soil data to the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle transmits the soil data to the host and sends a confirmation signal to the soil detection terminal; and the terminal MCU responds to the confirmation signal, drives the soil sensor to retract to the protection device and cuts off power supply of the power control device. The method is suitable for application scenes such as farmland management and soil detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of soil detection, and in particular relates to an automated soil detection method with a long maintenance cycle. Background Art

[0002] Planting is a vital component of agriculture. Different crops have varying requirements for soil quality and nutrient content, and soil physical and chemical properties are constantly changing due to factors such as weather and microorganisms. Soil monitoring systems use soil sensors to detect indicators such as soil temperature, humidity, electrolysis rate, and pH. By scientifically analyzing this data and identifying soil types, they can accurately guide agricultural production decisions, thereby improving crop efficiency and yields.

[0003] Soil testing devices primarily consist of a power supply system, a data processing system, communication components, and soil sensors. Currently, fixed soil testing devices are widely used due to their high accuracy, certain automation capabilities, and low labor costs. Regarding power supply, pure battery solutions are difficult to maintain for long-term testing due to high standby power consumption. Therefore, photovoltaic power supply solutions are often used. These solutions use photovoltaic panels to collect solar energy and convert it into electricity to supplement power. However, as crops grow taller, they obscure the panels, reducing their performance. Furthermore, photovoltaic panels require long-term maintenance, which is costly.

[0004] The sensor probes in fixed soil testing devices are in constant contact with the soil. As the amount of dirt and other impurities attached to them increases, the sensor's detection accuracy decreases. Furthermore, chemical substances such as salt in the soil can corrode the probe material, and friction from soil particles can cause wear on the probe surface. Furthermore, most electronic components are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Regular irrigation of the soil can lead to significant temperature and humidity fluctuations, which can affect the performance of the electronic components within the soil testing device and cause sensor drift. Consequently, regular maintenance and calibration of the soil testing device is essential.

[0005] In summary, existing soil detection devices face challenges such as high power consumption, insufficient automation, high economic and labor costs, and long maintenance and calibration cycles. A method for automated soil detection with a long maintenance cycle is needed, whereby the soil detection terminal automatically powers on and off during operation, inserting the sensor probe into the soil, and automatically de-energizes when not in operation, isolating the sensor probe from the soil and air. This approach enables automated soil detection over large areas while reducing power consumption, minimizing probe wear, and extending battery replacement cycles and soil sensor maintenance and calibration cycles. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle, which aims to solve the problems of existing soil detection devices such as high power consumption, insufficient automation, high economic and labor costs, and long maintenance and calibration cycles.

[0007] The present invention proposes a soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle, comprising: S1: A soil detection terminal is pre-installed in the soil to be detected. The soil detection terminal includes: a power control device, a radio frequency energy collection component, a terminal MCU, a terminal low-power communication module, a protection device, and a soil sensor; S2: Using a drone to transmit radio frequency energy above the detection point; S3: The soil detection terminal captures RF energy and wakes up. It converts the RF energy into electrical energy and transmits it as a wake-up signal to the power control device. The power control device then powers each module of the soil detection terminal. S4: The terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to move out of the protection device; S5: The soil sensor collects soil data and transmits the soil data to the drone through the terminal's low-power communication module. The drone transmits the soil data to the host. After successful transmission, the drone sends a confirmation signal to the soil detection terminal. S6: In response to the confirmation signal, the terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to retract to the protection device and cuts off the power supply to the power control device.

[0008] Furthermore, a preferred solution is provided: the drone is provided with a drone load system, including: a drone battery, a drone power management circuit, a drone MCU, a relay, a radio frequency energy transmission component, a cloud communication module, and a drone low-power communication module.

[0009] Furthermore, a preferred solution is provided: the drone battery is used for energy supply; the drone power management circuit is used for level conversion; the RF energy transmitting component is used to transmit RF energy; the drone low-power communication module is used to establish a connection with the terminal low-power communication module, receive soil data transmitted by the terminal low-power communication module, and send it to the drone MCU; the cloud communication module is used to transmit the soil data received by the drone MCU to the host; the relay is used to turn on or off the power supply circuit of the RF energy transmitting component according to the control signal of the drone MCU.

[0010] Furthermore, a preferred solution is provided: the power control device includes a terminal battery, a load switch and a terminal power management circuit.

[0011] Furthermore, a preferred solution is provided: diodes are respectively arranged between the enable end of the load switch and the radio frequency energy collection component and the terminal MCU.

[0012] Further, the preferred solution is provided: the soil detection terminal further comprises two driving chips and corresponding two electric push rods, the terminal MCU drives the two electric push rods by controlling the two driving chips to move out or retract the soil sensor from the protection device.

[0013] Further, the preferred solution is provided: the protection device is a waterproof and dustproof sealed structure.

[0014] Further, the preferred solution is provided: the method further comprises: presetting the working path of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle works according to the set working path, and after the S5 is completed, the unmanned aerial vehicle goes to the next detection point to continue working.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present application are: 1. In the method, the unmanned aerial vehicle carries a radio frequency energy emitting component, and automatically wakes up each soil detection device according to coordinate information. During work, the device automatically drives the sensor probe to work, simultaneously performs data acquisition and transmission, and controls the soil sensor to enter the protection device after detection is completed. The whole process of wake-up-detection-acquisition-transmission-protection does not require human intervention, and large-area soil automatic detection can be realized with greatly reduced labor cost.

[0016] 2. In the method, only during work, the soil detection terminal is woken up by radio frequency energy and is in a powered-on state, and the built-in battery supplies power to the subsequent device, and during the non-working period, it is in a power-off state. The radio frequency energy wake-up mechanism maximizes the reduction of power consumption, prolongs the battery replacement cycle, and saves labor and financial costs.

[0017] 3. In the method, after data acquisition is completed, the soil sensor is moved out of the soil and sealed in the protection device, which is isolated from the soil and air, reducing the wear of the probe. The protection mechanism prolongs the service life and maintenance calibration cycle of the soil sensor, and reduces the labor cost.

[0018] The present application is applicable to farmland management, soil detection and other application scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 An energy transfer structure block diagram of the long-maintenance-period soil automatic detection method according to embodiment two of the present application; Figure 2 An information transfer structure block diagram of the long-maintenance-period soil automatic detection method according to embodiment two of the present application; Figure 3 A power management circuit structure block diagram of the long-maintenance-period soil automatic detection method according to embodiment two of the present application; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the working steps of a soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle described in the third specific embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures and technologies are provided for purposes of illustration rather than limitation to facilitate a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application may be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to avoid obscuring the description of the present application with unnecessary detail.

[0021] It will be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0022] It should also be understood that the terms used in this specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0023] The following is attached to this application specification Figure 1-4 , clearly and completely describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific implementation methods disclosed below.

[0025] Implementation method one: A soil automated detection method with a long maintenance cycle, comprising: S1: A soil detection terminal is pre-installed in the soil to be detected. The soil detection terminal includes: a power control device, a radio frequency energy collection component, a terminal MCU, a terminal low-power communication module, a protection device, and a soil sensor; S2: the unmanned aerial vehicle emits radio frequency energy above the detection point; S3: the soil detection terminal is woken up after capturing the radio frequency energy, converts the radio frequency energy into electric energy as a wake-up signal, and transmits the wake-up signal to the power control device, which supplies power to each module of the soil detection terminal; S4: the terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to move out of the protection device; S5: the soil sensor collects soil data, transmits the soil data to the unmanned aerial vehicle through the terminal low-power communication module, and the unmanned aerial vehicle transmits the soil data to the host computer. After the transmission is successful, the unmanned aerial vehicle sends an acknowledgement signal to the soil detection terminal; S6: the terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to retract into the protection device in response to the acknowledgement signal, and cuts off the power supply of the power control device.

[0026] The unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with an unmanned aerial vehicle load system, which includes an unmanned aerial vehicle battery, an unmanned aerial vehicle power management circuit, an unmanned aerial vehicle MCU, a relay, a radio frequency energy emission component, a cloud communication module, and an unmanned aerial vehicle low-power communication module. The unmanned aerial vehicle battery is used for power supply. The unmanned aerial vehicle power management circuit is used for level conversion. The radio frequency energy emission component is used for emitting radio frequency energy. The unmanned aerial vehicle low-power communication module is used for establishing a connection with the terminal low-power communication module, receiving soil data transmitted by the terminal low-power communication module, and sending the soil data to the unmanned aerial vehicle MCU. The cloud communication module is used for transmitting soil data received by the unmanned aerial vehicle MCU to the host computer. The relay is used for turning on or cutting off the power supply circuit of the radio frequency energy emission component according to the control signal of the unmanned aerial vehicle MCU.

[0027] Further, the power control device includes a terminal battery, a load switch, and a terminal power management circuit. Diodes are arranged between the enable end of the load switch and the radio frequency energy collection component and the terminal MCU, respectively.

[0028] Further, the soil detection terminal further includes two drive chips and corresponding two electric push rods. The terminal MCU drives the two electric push rods to move the soil sensor out of or retract the soil sensor into the protection device by controlling the two drive chips. The protection device is a waterproof and dustproof sealed structure.

[0029] This implementation pre-plans the drone's movement path according to the soil detection points. Following the pre-planned path, the drone automatically flies to each point to wake up a pre-placed soil detection terminal. Once awakened, the terminal automatically detects soil quality, transmits data, and enters protection mode, eliminating the need for human intervention and achieving full automation. A radio frequency (RF) energy wake-up mechanism enables low-power operation of the soil detection terminal. The device only receives power when the drone's payload system wakes it up. Once the soil quality data is successfully transmitted, the device loses power, conserving energy, extending battery replacement cycles, and reducing costs. Two sets of driver chips and electric push rods control the displacement of the soil sensor and protective device, ensuring full soil contact when the sensor probe is operating and isolation and protection when not in operation. This significantly reduces soil sensor maintenance and calibration cycles.

[0030] Implementation method 2: Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 This embodiment will be described.

[0031] This embodiment is a further example of the soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle described in the first embodiment.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, this is a block diagram of the energy transfer structure of an automated soil detection method with a long maintenance cycle, where the solid arrows indicate the direction of energy flow. The drone load system includes a drone battery, a drone power management circuit, a drone MCU, a cloud communication module, a relay, a drone low-power communication module, and a radio frequency energy transmission component.

[0033] The soil detection terminal includes a terminal battery, a radio frequency energy harvesting component, a load switch, a terminal power management circuit, a terminal microcontroller (MCU), a terminal low-power communication module, two driver chips, two electric push rods, a soil sensor, and a protective device. Diodes are placed between the enable pin of the load switch and the radio frequency energy harvesting component and the terminal MCU to prevent energy backflow.

[0034] One end of the load switch is connected to the battery, and the other end is connected through the terminal power management circuit. During non-operating time, its enable pin is set low, indicating an off state. During operating time, the enable pin is set high, connecting the power supply to subsequent components.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, a structural block diagram of a power management circuit for an automated soil detection method with a long maintenance cycle is shown. The power management circuit is a combination of several voltage conversion circuits that converts the battery voltage into different voltages to power various loads.

[0036] like Figure 2As shown in the information transmission structure block diagram of the long-maintenance-period soil automatic detection method, the dashed arrow is the information transmission direction.

[0037] The unmanned aerial vehicle MCU is connected with the relay, the cloud communication module and the unmanned aerial vehicle low-power communication module, the unmanned aerial vehicle MCU can control the opening and closing of the relay contact, can transmit data through the cloud communication module, and can communicate with other devices through the unmanned aerial vehicle low-power communication module.

[0038] The terminal MCU can collect data of the soil sensor, can indirectly control the electric push rod through the driving chip, and can communicate with other devices through the terminal low-power communication module.

[0039] The electric push rod 1 is strongly connected with the upper end of the soil sensor, and a sealing cover of the protection device is fixed above the soil sensor, and the electric push rod 1 controls the vertical movement of the two. The electric push rod 2 is strongly connected with the side of the protection device, and controls the horizontal movement of the protection device.

[0040] Embodiment three: Refer to Figure 4 The embodiment is described.

[0041] The embodiment is a further illustration of the long-maintenance-period soil automatic detection method described in embodiment one, as shown in Figure 4 The embodiment is described. S201: The unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the load system moves to a certain distance above the pre-buried soil detection terminal according to the coordinate information, and the radio frequency energy emission component emits radio frequency energy to the terminal. S202: The radio frequency energy collection component in the soil detection terminal is woken up after capturing the radio frequency energy, the load switch is turned on, and the terminal MCU, the terminal low-power communication module, the two driving chips, the two electric push rods and the soil sensor are powered on. This step controls the power-on and power-off state of the soil detection terminal through the radio frequency energy wake-up mechanism, and the selected unmanned aerial vehicle can locate its position in real time. When the soil needs to be detected, the unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the load system automatically flies to a certain distance above the first detection point according to the coordinate information and keeps still, the unmanned aerial vehicle MCU controls the relay contact to be closed, and the radio frequency energy emission component emits radio frequency energy. The radio frequency energy collection component in the soil detection terminal captures a certain amount of radio frequency energy, controls the load switch to be turned on, and powers on the terminal MCU, the terminal low-power communication module, the two driving chips, the two electric push rods and the soil sensor.

[0042] S203: After the terminal MCU is powered on, it controls the two electric push rods through two driver chips to move the soil sensor out of the protective device and insert the probe into the soil for detection. At the same time, the UAV's load system is connected to the two low-power communication modules of the soil detection terminal. After the connection is successful, the radio frequency energy stops transmitting. In this step, the electric push rod 1 is strongly connected to the soil sensor, and the electric push rod 2 is strongly connected to the protective device. After the UAV MCU is powered on, it immediately indirectly controls the two electric push rods through the driver chip to move the soil sensor out of the protective device, and inserts the probe into the soil, and the soil sensor starts detecting. At the same time, the UAV low-power communication module in the UAV load system is connected to the terminal low-power communication module of the soil detection terminal. After the connection is successful, the radio frequency energy transmitting component is powered off, and the radio frequency energy stops transmitting.

[0043] S204: The terminal MCU collects data from the soil sensor and sends it to the drone's payload system via two successfully connected low-power communication modules. The system then transmits the data to the host computer via the cloud communication module. In this step, the terminal MCU collects data detected by the soil sensor. Due to the high power consumption of the cloud communication module, transmitting data directly to the host computer via the cloud communication module would accelerate battery drain in the soil detection terminal. Therefore, the cloud communication module is incorporated into the drone's payload system. Specifically, the drone MCU first transmits data to the terminal MCU via the two connected drone low-power communication modules. The terminal MCU then transmits the data to the host computer via the cloud communication module.

[0044] S205: After the data is successfully sent, the drone load system sends a signal to the soil detection terminal to stop the detection and cut off the power, and then automatically goes to the next detection point according to the pre-planned path.

[0045] S206: After the soil detection terminal receives the signal, the terminal MCU controls the two electric push rods through two driver chips to pull the sensor out of the soil and move it into a protective device for sealing. The terminal MCU then controls the load switch to disconnect, and the soil detection terminal is powered off. After the data transmission is completed in this step, the drone load system sends a signal to the soil detection terminal and proceeds to the next detection point according to the pre-planned path. After the soil detection terminal receives the signal, the terminal MCU indirectly controls the two electric push rods through two driver chips to pull the sensor probe out of the soil and move it into a protective device for sealing. The terminal MCU then controls the load switch to disconnect, the soil detection terminal loses power, and the soil detection at that location is completed.

Claims

1. A soil automation detection method with a long maintenance cycle, characterized in that: The method comprises: S1: A soil detection terminal is pre-installed in the soil to be detected. The soil detection terminal includes: a power control device, a radio frequency energy collection component, a terminal MCU, a terminal low-power communication module, a protection device, and a soil sensor; S2: Using a drone to transmit radio frequency energy above the detection point; S3: The soil detection terminal captures RF energy and wakes up. It converts the RF energy into electrical energy and transmits it as a wake-up signal to the power control device. The power control device then powers each module of the soil detection terminal. S4: The terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to move out of the protection device; S5: The soil sensor collects soil data and transmits the soil data to the drone through the terminal's low-power communication module. The drone transmits the soil data to the host. After successful transmission, the drone sends a confirmation signal to the soil detection terminal. S6: In response to the confirmation signal, the terminal MCU drives the soil sensor to retract to the protection device and cuts off the power supply to the power control device.

2. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone is equipped with a drone load system, including: a drone battery, a drone power management circuit, a drone MCU, a relay, a radio frequency energy transmission component, a cloud communication module, and a drone low-power communication module.

3. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The drone battery is used for energy supply; the drone power management circuit is used for level conversion; the radio frequency energy transmitting component is used to transmit radio frequency energy; the drone low-power communication module is used to establish a connection with the terminal low-power communication module, receive soil data transmitted by the terminal low-power communication module, and send it to the drone MCU; the cloud communication module is used to transmit the soil data received by the drone MCU to the host; the relay is used to turn on or off the power supply circuit of the radio frequency energy transmitting component according to the control signal of the drone MCU.

4. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power control device includes a terminal battery, a load switch and a terminal power management circuit.

5. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 4, characterized in that: Diodes are respectively arranged between the enable end of the load switch and the radio frequency energy collection component and the terminal MCU.

6. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The soil detection terminal also includes two driving chips and two corresponding electric push rods. The terminal MCU controls the two driving chips to drive the two electric push rods to move the soil sensor out of or retract the protective device.

7. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective device is a waterproof and dustproof closed structure.

8. The soil automatic detection method with a long maintenance cycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes: presetting a working path of the drone, the drone working according to the set working path, and after completing S5, the drone goes to the next detection point to continue working.

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