Multimodal Soil Sensing With Hybrid LoRaWAN and BLE Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current smart farming solutions face barriers such as high costs for connectivity and sensors, lack of precise in-situ field sensors, and limited access to agronomy, relying on infrequent soil lab testing and macro-level information.
Innovation Solution
Development of low-cost, in-situ wireless multimodal soil sensor devices with hybrid LoRaWAN+BLE communication, integrating multimodal sensors for soil nutrients, temperature, humidity, and pest/disease detection, using AI/ML for predictive farming actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current smart farming solutions use traditional connectivity and sensors, then measurement precision and reliability are maintained, but cost becomes prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple communication technologies (LoRaWAN and Bluetooth Low Energy) into a single sensor device, allowing it to operate in both infrastructure-dependent and infrastructure-independent modes. This merging enables the system to achieve reliable soil monitoring at reduced costs by leveraging available infrastructure when present and independent operation when absent.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device is designed with multi-functionality to support dual communication modes (LoRaWAN and BLE), making it universally applicable across different deployment scenarios. This universality allows the same device to serve both connected and disconnected farming operations, reducing overall system cost while maintaining measurement precision.
2Productivity
If wireless sensor devices are deployed for soil monitoring, then productivity and measurement precision improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication functionality into two distinct modes (LoRaWAN for infrastructure-connected operations, BLE for infrastructure-independent operations), allowing each segment to be optimized for its specific use case. This segmentation reduces overall device complexity by enabling selective activation of communication protocols based on environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device dynamically switches between LoRaWAN and BLE communication modes based on the presence of infrastructure and operational requirements. This dynamic adaptability reduces device complexity by activating only the necessary communication protocol at any given time, rather than maintaining both systems in constant readiness.
3Measurement precision
If AI/ML models are integrated into the sensor device for predictive farming, then measurement precision and agronomy access improve, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that handles AI/ML model execution, separating the complex computational tasks from the core sensing functions. This intermediary approach allows the sensor device to leverage external processing resources when available while maintaining local predictive capabilities, thereby improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies directed to smart farming are described. A multimodal soil sensor device includes an elongated housing having first and second portions. An antenna is located in or above the first portion and coupled to a wireless communications component. The wireless communications component causes the antenna to radiate or receive electromagnetic energy to communicate with a second device. The multimodal soil sensor device includes one or more multimodal soil sensors to measure one or more first measurements of a first sensing modality and one or more second measurements of a second sensing modality different than the first sensing modality. The wireless communications component wirelessly sends measurement data, including the first measurements and the second measurements, to the second device via the antenna.