# US 2022/0035366 A1 · System, apparatus, and method for remote soil moisture measurement and control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0035366 A1 - Document ID: US20220035366A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/983,204 - Filed: 2020-08-03 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-03 - Inventors: James Canyon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220035366A1 ## CPC - G05D 1/0027: {involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling (fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00)} - A01G 25/09: Watering arrangements making use of movable installations on wheels or the like - A01G 25/167: {Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors} - G01N 22/04: Investigating moisture content - G01N 33/246: {for water content} - G05D 1/0016: {characterised by the operator's input device (input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00)} - G05D 1/0022: {characterised by the communication link (data switching networks in general H04L12/00)} - G05D 1/0259: {using magnetic or electromagnetic means} - G05D 1/101: {specially adapted for aircraft} - B64U 10/14: with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters - B64U 10/30: Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft - B64U 2101/35: for science, e.g. meteorology - G01N 33/245: {for agricultural purposes} - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR ## Abstract A system for remote moisture monitoring and control includes: a measurement vehicle, including a vehicle body, a vehicle control unit, a transmitter antenna, and a receiver antenna; a moisture control server, including a processor, a non-transitory memory, an input/output, and antenna manager, a multi spectrum analyzer, a sensor manager, an irrigation manager, a soil simulator and a data bus; a vehicle storage facility; an irrigation controller; irrigation valves; a mobile control device; ground sensors. Also disclosed is a method including piloting measurement vehicle; obtaining moisture measurements, including controlling outbound transmission, determining reflected power, calculating dielectric constant via reflection calculation, determining soil moisture via lookup in soil calibration table; obtaining sensor measurements; calculating soil model; and adjusting irrigation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for remote moisture monitoring and control, comprising: a) at least one measurement vehicle, further including: a vehicle body, wherein the vehicle body is selected from the group consisting of a ground vehicle body and an aviation vehicle body; a vehicle control unit, which is attached to the vehicle body; and at least one transceiver antenna, which is configured to send and receive electromagnetic signals, wherein the electromagnetic signals are reflected back from a ground surface layer of soil in a field; and b) a moisture control server, which is connected to the measurement vehicle, via a network; wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to control transmission of an outbound electromagnetic signal with a predetermined incident wave power, via the transceiver antenna; wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to determine a reflected power of an inbound electromagnetic signal, which is received via the transceiver antenna, wherein the inbound electromagnetic signal is a reflection in the soil of the outbound electromagnetic signal; wherein the moisture control server is configured to determine a soil moisture of the field by lookup of a calculated dielectric constant in a soil calibration table that correlates dielectric constant with soil moisture; wherein the moisture control server is configured to calculate the calculated dielectric constant via a reflection calculation, based on a predetermined dielectric constant of air, the incident wave power, and the reflected power. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver antenna comprises: a) a separate transmission antenna; and b) a separate receiver antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, further comprising: a vehicle storage facility, which is configured to receive the at least one measurement vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, further comprising: a) an irrigation controller, which is connected to the moisture control server; and b) irrigation valves, which are connected to the irrigation controller, such that the irrigation controller is configured to control the irrigation valves, which are configured to adjust irrigation of the field. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, further comprising: a mobile control device, which is connected to the control server, such that the mobile control device is configured to enable a user to control functions of the control server, via interaction with the mobile control device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, further comprising: at least one ground sensor, which is connected to the vehicle control unit, such that the vehicle control unit is configured to receive sensor measurements from the at least one ground sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, wherein the moisture control server further comprises: a) a processor; b) a non-transitory memory; c) an input/output component; d) an antenna manager, which is configured to control functions of the at least one transceiver antenna in communication with the vehicle control unit; wherein the antenna manager is configured to generate and transmit an outbound radio frequency spectrum in communication with the at least one transceiver antenna, via the vehicle control unit; wherein the antenna manager is configured to receive, store, and process a return radio frequency spectrum in communication with the transceiver antenna, via the vehicle control unit; and e) a multi spectrum analyzer, which is configured to analyze the return radio frequency spectrum; all connected via f) a data bus. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 7, wherein the moisture control server further comprises: a sensor manager, which is configured to receive, store, and process a sensor measurement received in communication with a ground sensor, via the vehicle control unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 7, wherein the moisture control server further comprises: an irrigation manager, which is configured to control irrigation valves in communication via an irrigation controller. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 7, wherein the multi spectrum analyzer is further configured to: send a set of transmissions signals with varying frequency, in communication with the antenna manager, which communicates with the transceiver antenna; and thereby adjust the average penetration depth of a return signal, and thereby obtain a set of moisture measurements, such that each moisture measurement is correlated with a corresponding average penetration depth; whereby the multi spectrum analyzer is configured to determine a soil moisture of the field at a set of predetermined penetration depths. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 10, wherein the multi spectrum analyzer is further configured to: calculate a sequence of differences between successive measurements in the set of moisture measurements, in order of increasing penetration depth, thereby determining a set of discrete measurements at varying penetration depths, which aggregate to a total moisture measurement at a maximum penetration depth. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 7, wherein the multi spectrum analyzer is further configured to: send a series of bursts at a burst frequency of transmission signals at a predetermined transmission frequency, in communication with the antenna manager, which communicates with the transceiver antenna; such that the multi spectrum analyzer is configured to execute high-frequency sampling at a sampling frequency, which is a multiple higher than the burst frequency, such that the multi spectrum analyzer for each burst in the series of bursts obtains a series of return signal samplings, while the burst is penetrating to a predetermined penetration depth, in communication with the antenna manager, which communicates with the transceiver antenna; and thereby obtain a set of sequential moisture measurements at ratios of the penetration depth; whereby the multi spectrum analyzer is configured to determine a soil moisture of the field at a set of predetermined penetration depths. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 12, wherein the multi spectrum analyzer is further configured to: calculate a sequence of differences between successive measurements in the set of moisture measurements, in order of increasing penetration depth, thereby determining a set of discrete measurements at varying penetration depths, which aggregate to a total moisture measurement at a maximum penetration depth. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 7, wherein the moisture control server further comprises: a soil simulator, which is configured to implement a numerical soil model, which calculates moisture propagation as a three-dimensional boundary value problem, by solving a predetermined set of ordinary differential equations with predetermined boundary values, wherein the boundary values include: a set of soil moisture measurements, each correlated with a soil location; and a set of sensor measurements, obtained from the ground sensors, each sensor measurement correlated with a sensor location. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 7, wherein the moisture control server further comprises the soil calibration table, and wherein the multi spectrum analyzer is configured to periodically update the soil calibration table based on measurements against a calibration sample with known soil moisture values. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit further comprises: a) a processor; b) a non-transitory memory; c) an input/output; d) an antenna controller, which is configured to communicate with and control functions of the transceiver antenna, including communicating the outbound radio frequency spectrum to the transceiver antenna for transmission by the transceiver antenna and receiving the return radio frequency spectrum in communication with the transceiver antenna; and e) a sensor controller which is configured to receive sensor data in communication with at least one ground sensor; all connected via f) a data bus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 16, wherein the vehicle control unit further comprises: a location controller, which is configured to determine a location of the measurement vehicle. ### Claim 18 A method for remote moisture monitoring and control, comprising: a) piloting a measurement vehicle, wherein the measurement vehicle is piloted over a field; and b) obtaining moisture measurements, wherein the measurement vehicle obtains moisture measurements from the field, comprising: controlling transmission of an outbound electromagnetic signal with a predetermined incident wave power; determining a reflected power of an inbound electromagnetic signal, wherein the inbound electromagnetic signal is a reflection in soil of the field of the outbound electromagnetic signal; calculating a calculated dielectric constant via a reflection calculation, based on a predetermined dielectric constant of air, the incident wave power, and the reflected power; and determining a soil moisture of the field by lookup of the calculated dielectric constant in a soil calibration table that correlates dielectric constant with soil moisture. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 18, further comprising: obtaining sensor measurements, wherein the measurement vehicle receives sensor measurements from ground sensors in the field. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 19, further comprising: calculating a numerical soil model, wherein a moisture control server calculates moisture propagation as a three-dimensional boundary value problem on a numerical soil model of the field, by solving a predetermined set of ordinary differential equations with predetermined boundary values, wherein the predetermined set of ordinary differential equations are configured to model moisture propagation in the field, wherein the boundary values comprise: a set of soil moisture measurements, each correlated with a soil location; and a set of sensor measurements, obtained from the ground sensors, each sensor measurement correlated with a sensor location. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 20, further comprising: adjusting irrigation, comprising adjusting irrigation valves to control irrigation in the field, comprising: increasing irrigation in the field, in locations where the numerical soil model predicts that soil moisture is less than an optimal soil moisture value; and decreasing irrigation in the field, in locations where the numerical soil model predicts that soil moisture is above the optimal soil moisture value. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The method for remote moisture monitoring and control of claim 18, wherein piloting the measurement vehicle further comprises: periodically updating the soil calibration table based on measurements against a calibration sample with known soil moisture values.