TOPIC ASSIGNED

WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF SOIL MOISTURE

USING SENSORS
CONTENTS:

1. ABSTRACT
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
3. INTRODUCTION
 Literature
 Scope of the Project
 Project Requirements
4. SYSTEM DETAILED DESIGN AND SIMULATIONS
 Nano-Technology Devices
 Mems for Soil Moisture
 Sensors Theory
 Design of Sensors and its Fabrications
 Wireless communication System
 Wireless Moisture Sensing Probe
5. MOISTURE SENSOR DESIGN’S IMPLEMENTATION
6. RESULTS CALCULATIONS
7. CONCLUSION
WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF SOIL MOISTURE USING SENSORS

Abstract:
As all we know that Agriculture is not only important for all of us but it’s also a vast field. It includes nutrients
management and irrigation scheduling. In managing such fields; water content and temperature plays the
vital role. They are principal factors in dealing the swapping of heat energy and water between the upper
surface of ground and the different layers of atmosphere through the processes like plant’s transpiration and
evaporation. Not only this, they also play impactful role in the growth of the making of precipitation and
irrigation on the required given land. That’s why the moisture content of soil is always thinking as an
indispensable boundary. For the monitoring of this essential parameter long-distance cables may use, but the
problem lies is that they are hardly available within field scale. Other techniques like soil heat flux, gamma
downgrading and Ground-Penetration Radar are used but they can’t provide profound consequences
because they are mostly surface measurements. Besides all this, the rowdy environment can also cause
changes in outcomes. So due to this the prerequisite of keeping the track of dynamics of soil water, a
multiplex wireless soil moisture sensor based upon the effective resistance transform should be used which
would be highly efficient.

Project Question:
The main aim of this assignment is to find out the feasibility of using wireless based sensor devices for the
calculations of soil moisture?

The solution to this question is explained with detailed. For now, let’s consider that there are some kinds of
sensor devices which uses solar energy to powered them, and their data can be immediately passed on by
communication based on wireless. There are some sensor electrodes which are always fixed at the base of
the supporting rod in order to measure the moisture content of soil at different depths. To accomplish these
kind of tasks sensors based on micro-electromechanical system can also be used. Micro-electromechanical
systems are manufacturing by using integrated circuits (IC). They are also well equipped in terms of water
sensitivity containing Nano-polymers.

Introduction:
Continuous monitoring is very sufficient in areas like soil science, ecology, geotechnical, hydrology and
meteorology. For example, soil moisture is important when dealing with the slope failure and land slide.
Similarly, in agriculture, there is a topmost need to utilize the natural resources to the fullest, such as the
supply of the water in irrigation structure. These kind of systems should have knowledge about the water
content even to the origin of plants. By having details about the credentials of the water content, the water
in irrigation system could then be provided in a more systematic way.

There are different methods available for the calculations of the soil moisture based upon the large amount
of sensors. For irrigation and water management an instrument known as tensiometer is used for measuring
the water content in soil.

The moisture in the soil can also be investigated by a simple moisture probe. In such a probe it consists of a
transmission path which is located at the response loop of an attached ring vibrator, which could be
supported in the ground to manage its moisture content. By changing the moisture, its frequency which is
calculated by the help of the counting of the oscillator by a controller could also be change which is then
transformed into the moisture content by a measuring function.

One of the other method to calculate the moisture content is Remote moisture content. It is invented by
Reindl where a surface full of passiveness that’s also a wireless too; produces a surface acoustic wave, also
known as SAW. Which is then resulted into the calculation of the moisture content of the soil. As all we know
that water content has ability to change the direction of the SAW device which further impacts on the soil’s
frequency. After measurement, its response is then shifted and is used to calculate the moisture present on
the soil surface. In addition to the oscillator circuit a phase is connected to determine the soil moisture. The
line named as delay line is attached to find out the soil water content. These changes or alterations are
measured as a changes produced in the oscillator frequency with respect to time.

The other procedure named as Propagation delay is inquired to provide hundred percent correct volumetric
readings of the moisture in soil without measuring the sensor. The rapid passages are started on the lines
which are used for carrying conductors which are completely mixed with the soil and its frequency and
wavelength of resultant wave is used to find out the moisture present in the soil. There are some drawbacks
with the ongoing or present techniques such as soil dependency, inaccuracy and high cost.

Nano-Technology Devices:
Nano-Technology based devices, which have recently emerged with great speed; represents the creative
solution to current managing techniques, leading to durability and have high density information collection,
low in price, wireless and have ability to store and process the great amount of data. These Nano-technologies
are known as MEMS meaning micro electro mechanical systems which have the ability to not only sensing its
environment but also have capabilities to change in that environment according to their needs. Besides the
old devices, they are integrated with the antenna’s structures for managing signals which are basically micro
electromechanical structures and are designed for intended sensing and calculating properties. They also
have the ability to join the hands for signals making and computational power of analogue and digital
integrated circuits with an expanding variety of elements.

MEMS FOR SOIL MOISTURE:

During sensor operation, water molecules are absorbed into the coated film surface of sensors. They are held
by Van der Waals forces. Water molecules possess weak forces that’s why they are held by Van der Forces.
Many radical ions formed bond with water molecules within the coated surface.
SENSOR’S THEORY:
The behaviour of the mentioned MEMS device in the soil having water content produces a great amount of
stresses. These kind of stresses are identified by the combined knowledge of strength of materials and theory
of structure and then afterwards they are used to establish relationships among the applied stresses and the
micro electro mechanical system’s Output. In below diagram the whole assembly would be easily understood.
A relationship is established between two things, one is the change in the resistance of the resistor and the
other one is the shear stresses would be supported in such a way that a cantilever can be established.

Design of Sensors and its Fabrication:

The MEMS devices were designed and fabricated for the required project. Its characteristics are mentioned
below:

1. The 2mm * 2mm sensor chip having four similar micro cantilevers (20*120*380 micrometre). Each
of them contains strain resistor that estimates the stress produced by the beam with the help of the
phenomenon called as piezo resistive effect.
2. These four strain resistors are attached with each other in such a way that they form a Bridge known
as Wheatstone Bridge circuit which is supported on the screen chips. Following are the characteristics
that are used for material used in sensors
I. Modulus of Elasticity= 7.1GPa
II. Density = 2.35g/cm-3
III. Expansion Coefficient = 2.3 * 10-6 /k
3. All the designing is done by also keeping an eye on the surrounding temperatures.
Wireless Communication System:
The Micro-electro mechanical sensors are interlinked with a wireless communication system which is easily
available in markets whose function is to manage the temperature of the soil and water content without
having any wires. It is made up of wireless data additional model with a wireless sensing zone. The node
which senses have the capacity of 2.5 GHz RF transceiver, 2.0 KHz sweep rate combined with a memory of
2MB having unique 16-bit address having data calculating rate up to 2048 Hz. These types of nodes also have
ability to contains sensors based on on-board excitations, bridge completion, single ended inputs and
differential thereby giving an extra ordinary versatility sensor interface.

Wireless Moisture Sensing Probe:

A wireless sensing probe is designed by the help of moisture sensor and with the wireless sensing node. At
the bottom of the tube named as PVC, sensors are attached while the wireless communication is attached at
the top of the PVC jacket. There is an opening of dia 0.5 mm to allow the passage of transfer of water through
it. Its data is in the form of bits and could be transform into voltage when needed.
Moisture Sensor Design and Implementation:
The most basic principle on which moisture sensors are designed is that when the water content in soil
changes, the dielectric will also alter. These dielectric constant fluctuations can be seen either by calculating
the signal based upon reflection or through calculating the transmitted signal. As all we know, transmitted
signal requires more volume to travel than to the reflected one so their results or output should have capacity
to measure the water content fluctuations more precisely.

Results Calculations:
Through different investigations it is discovered that sensor made devices shows that give feedback exactly
the same way to the RH rule having superb power of repeating itself. However, there was an alter observe
after 5 hours of exposure in high temperature indicating that the effect of pressure plays an important role
in it.

These equations were supported by the data remembering system for measuring the exact amount of the
moisture present in the soil. it can be seen that the response of the probe wirelessly.

Placement Criteria of Moisture Sensors:

The aim of enhancing the economic and environmental growth is by providing the accurate temporal and
spatial properties. This is done by increasing the capabilities of applying water. This is done through VRI
technology. A technology known as Variable Rate Irrigation which give us additional irrigation system.
Additional information like hardware and crop water status. One of the compulsory part of a VRI system is
the soil moisture sensor. The more the number of sensors, the more will be the price of VRI system. Soil
moisture content changes with respect to the time and particular position in the required field but one thing
that is always constant is their pattern of spatial variability with respect to time. This whole process is known
as Temporal Stability. These patterns are connected with the properties that devastatingly changes with time
such as size of the soil particle, topography and drainage ways. It can help find places by measuring the
average soil moisture by taking the exact offset between the measured value at that site to the mean value.
One of the benefits of temporal stability is that its investigations can be helpful for the deduction of sensors
which are required to figure out the storage of mean soil water.

It means that the soil moisture having spatial patterns produces an arrangement criterion for moisture
contents present in the soil. A VRI management distributes the field into many management parts according
to the properties of soil like available soil water holding capacity also written as (AWC). It is calculated through
wilting points. It should be kept in mind that all management zones should be well fertilized so that the
maximum yield potential would be achieved. The uniformity of different arrangements in soil water content
from one data to other is linked by calculating correlation coefficient named as Spearman’s Rank.

Spatial Arrangements in VRI and URI Handling:

The water present in the soil have spatial arrangements which were contrast from one deposition of the data
to the next one especially in the irrigation seasons. Their Spearman’s coefficient and mean soil moisture are
measured at different heights. It is generally seen that when coefficient in URI lies between 0.59 to 0.99 than
the value in VRI would be from 0.17 to 0.90. These values indicate that the VRI alter the wetting and drying
patterns of the moisture present in the soil. Through different observations and results, some of the
conclusions about the spatial patterns in VRI and URI were obtained and are as follow:

1. In a particular situation of VRI management, the resemblance of water content present in the soil
was altered when the irrigated water expenditure was given by irrigation water. On the other hand,
for URI the overall likeness of moisture present in the soil is retained regardless of the type of season
2. For both zones (URI and VRI), a time-stable location is measured for every calculating location.
3. To represents the mean moisture present in the soil we use a term known as Clay percentile and the
clay percentile in management zones have identical linear regressions for both seasons (summer as
well as in winter).

Locating the Mean Soil Moisture:

After describing the different zones of the management in accordance with the AWC, the VRI report need to
be supported in the same way as the managing of soil water content sensors. Therefore, the points that were
either consistent should be detailed for every zone. After describing this, each and every calculated positions
could be helpful in determine the approximate locations.

Precision of Soil Moisture Sensors:

In order to find out the precision of the soil moisture sensors to control the irrigation. It is essential to detect
when the scheduled irrigation circles were bypassed, and what was the actual value of angle of internal
friction at that point or moment. Most of the probe controller instruments are not précised instruments
which would be cleared by performing different laboratory tests. For continuous variables, statistical analysis
was conducted by using the procedure of the general linear model also written as GLM which is basically a
statistical analysis software. Its function is to investigate the differences depend upon a completely
randomized design. In this software, individual GMS unit are measured and then calculating the fluctuations
between them.

Conclusion:
In this report, the feasibility of using wireless based sensors for soil moisture is determined. The theoretical
study showed that the change in the resistance of the sensor due to moisture depends mainly on the
cantilever beam thickness and modulus of elasticity, and the magnitude of the shear stress at the cantilever
interface. Also it was found that the cantilever beams thickness influences the sensors like MEMS sensitivity
and this sensitivity is independent of the cantilever length. Through field tests, the soil moisture and
temperature were successfully monitored using exposed wireless sensors.

More tests are required to evaluate the effect of different soil components on the sensors. It is required also
to test and track the field behaviour of the probe to establish both repeatability and long term behaviour of
sensors in soils.