KR102806555B1 - Device for measuring soil moisture - Google Patents

Abstract

A soil moisture measurement device comprises: a base body; a water receiving member having a tubular shape with an open upper portion and arranged on the base body to receive water; a heating unit heating the water to generate water vapor; a load cell unit arranged on the base body to measure a change in the weight of the water received in the water receiving member; a soil receiving member having a tubular shape in which sampled soil is received and a bottom plate coupled to an opening of the water receiving member and having porous portions formed therein to provide water vapor to the soil; and a moisture measurement unit arranged inside the soil receiving member to measure the moisture content of the soil caused by the water vapor.

Description

{DEVICE FOR MEASURING SOIL MOISTURE}

The present invention relates to a soil moisture measuring device, and more particularly, to a soil moisture measuring device capable of measuring the moisture content of sampled soil after uniformly forming a moisture distribution in the sampled soil using water vapor.

In general, technologies for measuring soil moisture are widely used for drought prediction, flood prediction, and crop growth environment prediction, and in the agricultural field, it is necessary to accurately measure soil moisture in order to analyze and understand irrigation control and water supply cycles for crops.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0007238, Soil Moisture Measuring Device (publication date January 20, 2012) discloses a technology for measuring soil moisture content by calculating the descending speed of water supplied from the upper part of the soil, calculating and correcting the soil density value based on the descending speed of the water, and so on.

As such, most soil moisture measurement devices adopt a method of providing water from the top of the sampled soil to measure the soil moisture, and then measuring the soil moisture after the water moves downward by gravity.

However, this method of supplying water downstream to the upper part of the sampled soil and then measuring the internal moisture content of the soil has the problem that the soil moisture content is also calculated inaccurately locally because the moisture distribution within the soil is locally uneven due to various factors such as soil density and composition.

(Patent Document 0001) Republic of Korea Publication Patent No. 10-2012-0007238, Soil Moisture Measurement Device (Publication Date: January 20, 2012)

The present invention provides a soil moisture measuring device capable of accurately measuring the moisture content of sampled soil by supplying water vapor to sampled soil in an upstream manner so that moisture can be uniformly distributed in the lower part of the sampled soil, a specific internal part of the sampled soil, and the surface of the sampled soil, and then precisely measuring the moisture content of the sampled soil with a sensor.

As an embodiment, a soil moisture measurement device includes: a base body; a water receiving member having a tubular shape with an open upper portion and disposed on the base body to receive water; a heating unit heating the water to generate water vapor; a load cell unit disposed on the base body to measure a change in weight of the water received in the water receiving member; a soil receiving member having a tubular shape in which sampled soil is received and a bottom plate coupled to an opening of the water receiving member and having porous portions formed therein to provide the water vapor to the soil; and a moisture measurement unit disposed inside the soil receiving member to measure the moisture content of the soil caused by the water vapor.

The heating unit of the soil moisture measuring device includes a water heating heater that comes into contact with the water to heat the water, and the water heating heater includes a heating member that generates heat using electric energy, a support member that supports the heating member, and a fixing member that fixes the support member to the water receiving member.

The heating unit of the soil moisture measuring device includes a reheating heater having a grid shape that reheats water vapor generated by the water heating heater without being in direct contact with the water and uniformly spreads the water vapor, and the reheating heater includes a reheating member that generates heat using electric energy, a support member that supports the reheating member, and a joining member that joins the support member to a water receiving member.

The soil moisture measuring device further includes a collimator unit having a grid shape arranged vertically with respect to the ground to cause water vapor to flow in a direction vertical to the ground, inside a water receiving member corresponding to the upper portion of the heating unit.

The size of the pores formed in the bottom plate of the soil receiving member of the soil moisture measuring device is formed to be larger than the particle size of the soil, and a mesh net having an opening smaller than the particle size of the soil is arranged on the inner surface of the bottom plate of the soil receiving member.

A cover is coupled to the opening of the soil receiving member of the soil moisture measuring device, and the soil moisture measuring device further includes a vacuum pressure forming unit having a connecting member having one end connected to the cover and having a hollow formed therein, and a vacuum pump connected to the other end of the connecting member and forming a vacuum pressure lower than atmospheric pressure inside the soil receiving member.

The moisture measuring unit of the soil moisture measuring device includes a first sensor group including a plurality of first moisture measuring sensors arranged at different depths in the soil to measure the moisture content of the soil, a second sensor group including a plurality of second moisture measuring sensors arranged at the same depth in the soil as each of the first moisture measuring sensors to measure the moisture content of the soil, and a comparison unit for comparing moisture measurements of the first and second sensor groups.

The soil moisture measuring device further includes a sealing member that seals the boundary surface of the water storage member and the soil storage member to prevent leakage of water vapor.

The soil moisture measuring device according to the present invention has the effect of accurately measuring the moisture content of the sampled soil by supplying water vapor to the sampled soil in an upstream manner so that moisture can be uniformly distributed in the lower part of the sampled soil, a specific internal part of the sampled soil, and the surface of the sampled soil, and then precisely measuring the moisture content from the sampled soil with a sensor.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a soil moisture measurement device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating the heating unit illustrated in Figure 1.
FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a reheating heater of a heating unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of portion 'A' of Figure 1.

The present invention described below can have various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description.

However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is judged that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The terminology used in this patent is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this patent, the terms "comprises" or "has" and the like are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood to not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

Also, although terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to distinguish and describe various components, the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, if at least two different embodiments are described in this patent, each embodiment may be used by mutually combining and mixing all or part of its components without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, even if there is no separate description.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a soil moisture measurement device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the soil moisture measurement device (800) generally includes a base body (100), a water storage member (200), a heating unit (300), a load cell unit (400), a soil storage member (500), and a moisture measurement unit (600). In addition, the soil moisture measurement device (800) may further include a collimator unit (700) and a vacuum pressure forming unit (750).

The base body (100) serves as a base that supports and fixes the water storage member (200), heating unit (300), load cell unit (400), water storage member (500), and moisture measurement unit (600) at designated locations.

The base body (100) is formed in a plate shape, for example, and can be manufactured from a metal material that is not subject to deformation or corrosion. The base body (100) can be equipped with an inclination adjusting member (not shown) that adjusts the inclination of the base body (100) so that it is parallel to the ground.

A water storage member (200) is placed on the upper part of the base body (100).

The water storage member (200) provides a space in which water for generating water vapor is stored. For example, the water storage member (200) may be formed in a tubular shape with an open top.

The water storage member (200) may include a first side wall (210) and a first bottom plate (220) formed at the bottom of the first side wall (210).

The first side wall (210) is arranged to be erected with respect to the base body (100), and the first floor plate (220) is arranged parallel to the base body (100). A gap is formed between the first floor plate (220) and the upper surface of the base body (100).

Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating the heating unit illustrated in Figure 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the heating unit (300) is placed inside the water storage member (200).

The heating unit (300) may include a water heating heater (310) disposed inside the water storage member (200), and the water heating heater (310) is in direct contact with the water stored in the water storage member (200) or disposed inside the water. The water heating heater (310) heats the water to generate a large amount of water vapor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the water heating heater (310) includes a heating member (312), a support member (314), and a fixing member (316).

The heating element (312) can generate heat by converting electrical energy into thermal energy. For example, the heating element (312) can include a heating coil that uses electrical energy and resistance.

A heating member (312) including a heating coil is connected to a support member (314) in a grid shape when viewed from a plan view.

Although in one embodiment of the present invention the heating element (312) is shown and described as comprising a heating wire coil, the heating element (312) may comprise a variety of mechanisms and devices that generate heat.

The support member (314) serves to receive and support the heating member (312), and the support member (314) can be made of, for example, a ceramic material that is less susceptible to breakage and damage due to heat, thermal expansion, or thermal contraction. The support member (314) can have a block shape in which a concave recess is formed in which the heating member (312) is received.

The fixed member (316) attaches the support member (314) to the inner surface of the first side wall (210) of the water storage member (200).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixing member (316) can be fixed to the first side wall (210) to prevent the support member (314) from moving.

Alternatively, the fixed member (316) may further include a raising/lowering member (not shown) that raises/lowers the fixed member (316) inside the water storage member (200) in response to the amount of water stored inside the water storage member (200), and a water level detection sensor (not shown) that detects the water level.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment of the present invention, a large amount of water is stored inside a water storage member (200) and the water stored in the water storage member (200) is heated using a heating unit (300) to generate water vapor. However, differently from this, a small amount of water may be provided in a concave recess formed in a support member (314) and the small amount of water provided may be heated by a heating member (312) to generate water vapor.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a reheating heater of a heating unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a large amount of water vapor may be generated inside the water storage member (200) by the water heating heater (310) of the heating unit (300), but the water vapor generated inside the water storage member (200) may adhere to the soil storage member (500) to be described later and condense in the form of water droplets, and thus may not flow into the inside of the soil storage member (500).

To prevent this, the heating unit (300) further includes a reheating heater (320) in addition to the water heating heater (310).

The reheating heater (320) reheats a large amount of steam generated from the water heating heater (310) to more uniformly spread the steam and prevent it from adhering to the soil storage member (500) and coagulating, thereby allowing the steam to quickly flow into the interior of the soil storage member (500).

The reheating heater (320) is coupled to the water receiving member (200) at a higher elevation than the water heating heater (310), and the reheating heater (320) includes a reheating member (322), a support member (324), and a coupling member (326).

The reheating member (322) may include a heating wire that generates heat by consuming electrical energy, and the supporting member (324) fixes the reheating member (322) in a ring shape. The connecting member (326) has one end connected to the supporting member (324) and the other end connected to the water receiving member (200).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the reheating member (322) of the reheating heater (320) is heated to a higher temperature than that of the heating member (312) of the water heating heater (310).

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of portion 'A' of Figure 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, water vapor passing through the water heating heater (310) and the reheating heater (320) of the heating unit (300) can flow without a specific direction. In order to direct the water vapor flowing without a specific direction toward the soil receiving member (500), a collimator unit (700) having a grid shape arranged vertically with respect to the ground is arranged on the inner surface of the first side wall (210) of the water receiving member (200) corresponding to the upper portion of the heating unit (300) to cause the water vapor to flow in a direction vertical to the ground.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the collimator unit (700) is formed by combining grid plates having a rectangular plate shape with a certain height in a grid shape, and the direction of water vapor is corrected in a direction perpendicular to the ground while passing through the collimator unit (700).

Referring again to Fig. 1, a load cell unit (400) is placed between the water storage member (200) with the heating unit (300) built in and the base body (100).

For example, one end of the load cell unit (400) is coupled to the base body (100), and the other end opposite to the one end of the load cell unit (400) is coupled to the first bottom plate (220) of the water storage member (200).

The load cell unit (400) precisely measures the weight of water provided to the water storage member (200) and the change in the weight of water reduced by the water vapor generated by heating the water and provided to the sampling soil. The load cell unit (400) may use various load cells such as an analog load cell using a spring or an electronic load cell.

In order to measure the amount of water vapor with high precision from the load cell unit (400), three load cell units (400) can be arranged in a circle in a triangular shape at equal angles and equal intervals on the upper surface of the base body (100).

Referring again to Figure 1, the soil receiving member (500) is formed in a tubular shape in which the sampled soil is received.

Specifically, the soil storage member (500) includes a second side wall (510) having a tubular shape and a second floor plate (520) arranged at the bottom of the second side wall (510).

The second side wall (510) is arranged parallel to the first side wall (210) of the water storage member (200) described above, and the second bottom plate (520) is arranged parallel to the first bottom plate (220) of the water storage member (200).

The soil storage member (500) is, for example, fitted to the upper end of the water storage member (200). That is, the soil storage member (500) is coupled to the water storage member (200) in a serial manner. To implement this, a step may be formed at the lower end of the second side wall (510) of the soil storage member (500) so as to be fitted to the first side wall (210) of the water storage member (200).

In this way, when a step is formed in the soil storage member (500) and the soil storage member (500) is fitted into the water storage member (200), not only can the soil storage member (500) be prevented from being arbitrarily separated from the water storage member (200), but also water vapor generated in the water storage member (200) can be primarily prevented from leaking to the outside.

Meanwhile, if water vapor generated from the water storage member (200) leaks from the boundary between the water storage member (200) and the soil storage member (500), an error may occur in the measurement of the amount of moisture. Therefore, a sealing member (530) that secondarily prevents the leakage of water vapor may be placed between the first side wall (210) of the water storage member (200) and the second side wall (510) of the soil storage member (500). The sealing member (530) may be formed on the surface of the second side wall (510) of the soil storage member (500).

The sealing member (530) can be formed into a ring shape using, for example, an elastic rubber material or an elastic synthetic resin material.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, a second bottom plate (520) connected to a second side wall (510) of a soil receiving member (500) has porous holes (522) formed through which water vapor passing through a collimator unit (700) passes through the sampled soil received in the soil receiving member (500).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the porous portion (522) serves to allow water vapor generated in the water storage member (200) to pass through the second bottom plate (520) and be provided to the sampled soil.

At this time, the size of the pores (522) is formed smaller than the particles of the sampled soil, so that the sampled soil does not flow out through the pores (522).

Meanwhile, if the size of the porous body (522) is formed smaller than the sampled soil particles, there is an advantage in that the soil does not leak out from the porous body (522), but if the soil particles block the porous body (522), water vapor may not smoothly pass through the second bottom plate (520) of the soil storage member (500).

In order to allow water vapor to pass smoothly through the second bottom plate (520) of the soil storage member (500) while preventing the soil stored in the soil storage member (500) from leaking through the pores (522), the size of the pores (522) formed in the second bottom plate (520) of the soil storage member (500) is formed to be larger than the size of the particles of soil stored in the soil storage member (500), and a mesh net (530) having an opening smaller than the particle size of the soil is arranged on the inner surface of the second bottom plate (520) of the soil storage member (500).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the mesh net (530) may be made of, for example, a metal material or synthetic resin material that does not corrode or rust due to moisture, and the mesh net (530) may be placed at a position spaced apart from the inner surface of the second bottom plate (520) of the soil storage member (500).

Meanwhile, if the upper part of the soil storage member (500) is open, moisture in the air may be supplied to the sampled soil stored in the soil storage member (500), which may cause an error in measuring the moisture content of the sampled soil. Therefore, a cover (740) may be attached to the open upper part of the soil storage member (500).

Even if water vapor is generated from the water storage member (200) while the sampled soil is stored in the soil storage member (500), the water vapor must flow into the soil storage member (500) due to the pressure of the generated water vapor when the cover (740) closes the open opening of the soil storage member (500). In this case, it may take a long time to store sufficient water vapor in the soil storage member (500).

In one embodiment of the present invention, a vacuum pressure forming unit (750) is coupled to the soil storage member (500) so that water vapor generated from the water storage member (200) can more quickly flow into the sampled soil stored in the soil storage member (500).

The vacuum pressure forming unit (750) includes a connecting member (752) having one end connected to an opening formed in a cover (740) and having a hollow space formed therein, and a vacuum pump (754) connected to the other end opposite to the one end of the connecting member (752) and forming the inside of the soil receiving member (500) at a vacuum pressure lower than atmospheric pressure so that water vapor can flow more smoothly into the soil receiving member (500). Considering the accuracy of the moisture measurement amount, it is preferable that the vacuum pressure forming unit (750) be operated only for a specified period of time.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the moisture content measuring unit (600) measures the moisture content of sampled soil stored in the soil storage member (500) caused by water vapor generated from the water storage member (200) to generate measurement data.

The moisture content measuring unit (600) includes a first sensor group (610), a second sensor group (620), and a comparison unit (300).

The first sensor group (610) includes a plurality of first moisture measurement sensors (612) arranged at different depths at a first point of sampled soil stored in a soil storage member (500) to measure the moisture content of the soil sampled at the first point.

The second sensor group (620) includes a plurality of second moisture measurement sensors (622) arranged at a depth corresponding to the first moisture measurement sensor (612) at a second point of the sampled soil stored in the soil storage member (500) and measuring the moisture content of the soil sampled at the second point.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first moisture measurement sensor (612) included in the first sensor group (610) and the second moisture measurement sensor (622) included in the second sensor group (620) may be different sensors.

The comparison unit (630) compares the moisture measurements measured in each of the first and second sensor groups (610, 620) to generate comparison data.

As described in detail above, by supplying water vapor to the sampled soil in an upstream manner so that moisture can be uniformly distributed in the lower part of the sampled soil, a specific part inside the sampled soil, and the surface of the sampled soil, and then precisely measuring the moisture content from the sampled soil with a sensor, the effect of accurately measuring the moisture content of the sampled soil is achieved.

Meanwhile, the embodiments disclosed in this drawing are merely specific examples presented to aid understanding and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that other modified examples based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

100...base body 200...water storage member
300...Heating unit 400...Load cell unit
500...Soil storage member 600...Moisture content measuring unit
700... Collimator unit 750... Vacuum pressure forming unit

Claims (8)

base body;
A water storage member having an open upper barrel shape and positioned on the base body to store water;
A heating unit for heating the water to generate steam;
A load cell unit disposed on the base body and measuring a change in the weight of the water stored in the water storage member;
A soil receiving member having a tubular shape in which sampled soil is received and which is connected to an opening of the water receiving member and which includes a bottom plate having porous surfaces formed therein for providing water vapor to the soil; and
A moisture measuring unit is disposed inside the soil storage member and measures the moisture content of the soil caused by the water vapor.
The above heating unit includes a water heating heater that comes into contact with the water and heats the water,
The above water heating heater includes a heating member that generates heat using electric energy, a support member that supports the heating member, and a fixing member that fixes the support member to the water receiving member.
The above fixed member includes a raising/lowering member that raises/lowers the fixed member inside the water storage member in response to the amount of water stored inside the water storage member, and a water level detection sensor that detects the water level.
A soil moisture measuring device in which the soil storage member is arranged on the upper part of the water storage member, the heating unit is arranged between the water storage member and the soil storage member, and water vapor generated from the heating unit is supplied to the soil storage member in an upstream manner. delete In the first paragraph,
The above heating unit includes a reheating heater having a grid shape that reheats the water vapor generated by the water heating heater without being in direct contact with the water and uniformly spreads the water vapor.
The above reheating heater includes a reheating member that generates heat using electric energy, a support member that supports the reheating member, and a joining member that joins the support member to a water receiving member.
A soil moisture measuring device in which the temperature of the reheating member of the reheating heater is heated to a higher temperature than that of the heating member of the water heating heater, thereby reheating the water vapor generated from the water heating heater to diffuse the collected water vapor and prevent the water vapor from adhering to the soil receiving member and coagulating, thereby allowing the water vapor to flow into the interior of the soil receiving member. In the first paragraph,
A soil moisture measurement device further comprising a collimator unit having a grid shape arranged vertically with respect to the ground to cause water vapor to flow in a direction vertical to the ground inside a water receiving member corresponding to the upper portion of the heating unit. In the first paragraph,
The size of the pores formed in the bottom plate of the soil storage member is formed to be larger than the particle size of the soil,
A mesh net having an opening smaller than the particle size of the soil is arranged on the inner surface of the bottom plate of the soil storage member.
The above mesh net is a soil moisture measuring device placed at a certain distance from the bottom plate of the soil storage member. In the first paragraph,
A cover is attached to the opening of the above soil storage member,
A soil moisture content measuring device further comprising a vacuum pressure forming unit having a connecting member having one end connected to the cover and having a hollow portion formed therein, and a vacuum pump connected to the other end of the connecting member and forming the inside of the soil receiving member at a vacuum pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. In the first paragraph,
A soil moisture measuring device comprising: a first sensor group including a plurality of first moisture measuring sensors arranged at different depths in the soil to measure the moisture content of the soil; a second sensor group including a plurality of second moisture measuring sensors arranged at the same depth in the soil as each of the first moisture measuring sensors to measure the moisture content of the soil; and a comparison unit for comparing the moisture measurements of the first and second sensor groups. In the first paragraph,
A soil moisture measuring device further comprising a sealing member that seals the boundary surface of the water storage member and the soil storage member to prevent leakage of water vapor.

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