Plant water content sensor and plant water content measuring method
AssigneeNational University Corporation Kagawa University
InventorsFusao Shimokawa, Fumiya Ino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are a plant water content sensor and a plant water content measuring method configured to measure a water content of a plant in a non-destructive manner. A plant water content sensor includes a water content probe, which includes a readout electrode pair made of a pair of electrodes disposed at a predetermined interval thereof, a water sensitive film, which is bridged across the pair of electrodes, and a supporting portion, which supports the water content probe. A water content of the plant is measurable by sticking the water content probe into the plant and reading out impedance or an electrostatic capacity from the readout electrode pair.
Claims12
A plant water content sensor comprising:
- a water content probe that includes a readout electrode pair made of
- a pair of electrodes disposed at a predetermined interval thereof, and
- a water sensitive film bridged across the pair of electrodes, wherein the water sensitive film is formed of lithium chloride or high-polymer material;
- an electrical conductivity probe that includes an electrical conductivity electrode pair made of a pair of electrodes disposed at a predetermined interval thereof;
- and
- a supporting portion being a plate that supports the water content probe and the electrical conductivity probe arranged in parallel to one another, the water content probe and the electrical conductivity probe being disposed in a cantilevered manner to one edge of the plate of the supporting portion, the water sensitive film of the water content probe being disposed from a location of the readout electrode pair to a partial region of the upper surface of the plate of the supporting portion and the water sensitive film being a water absorbing material.
A plant water content measuring method comprising:
- sticking a water content probe into a plant, the water content probe including a readout electrode pair made of a pair of electrodes disposed at a predetermined interval thereof, and a water sensitive film bridged across the pair of electrodes, the water sensitive film being a water absorbing material;
- sticking an electrical conductivity probe into the plant, the electrical conductivity probe including an electrical conductivity electrode pair made of a pair of electrodes disposed at a predetermined interval thereof;
- determining an electrical conductivity from an electrical resistance between the pair of electrodes constituting the electrical conductivity electrode pair;
- determining in advance a sensor sensitivity coefficient B in Formula (1) from an electrical conductivity measurement value;
- measuring impedance measurement value Z between the pair of electrodes constituting the readout electrode pair;
- and
- determining a water content WC of the plant from the impedance measurement value Z based on Formula (1),
- Z=Z0×10−B·WC (1)
- here, Z indicates the impedance measurement value, Zo indicates an impedance determined in advance when no water is absorbed by the water sensitive film, and WC indicates the determined water content.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.