US 2023/0417693 A1Published application

Moisture sensor

AssigneeNational University Corporation Shizuoka University

InventorsMasato FUTAGAWA, Kisho SAKAMOTO

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Abstract

The soil moisture sensor includes a thermoelectric element disposed in the soil, a first temperature information acquisition unit acquiring a first temperature information that indicates a temporal change in temperature of the soil due to an operation of the thermoelectric element, a second temperature information acquisition unit acquiring a second temperature information that indicates a temporal change in temperature of the soil due to the operation of the thermoelectric element, and an arithmetic device obtaining moisture information on the basis of the temperature information. The arithmetic device includes a gradient information acquisition unit acquiring a temperature change amount per unit time by utilizing the first temperature information and the second temperature information, and a conversion unit converting the temperature change amount into the moisture content by utilizing conversion information indicating a relationship between the temperature change amount and the moisture content.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A moisture sensor which obtains moisture information on moisture contained in a measurement object, the moisture sensor comprising:

a temperature control unit disposed in the measurement object and being able to change a temperature of the measurement object;
a temperature information acquisition unit acquiring temperature information indicating a temporal change of the temperature of the measurement object due to an operation of the temperature control unit;
and
an arithmetic unit obtaining the moisture information on the basis of the temperature information, wherein
the arithmetic unit includes:
a gradient information acquisition unit acquiring a temperature change amount per unit time by utilizing the temperature information;
and
a conversion unit converting the temperature change amount into the moisture information by utilizing conversion information indicating a relationship between the temperature change amount and the moisture information,
the temperature control unit is thermoelectric element which converts electrical energy into thermal energy,
the thermoelectric element includes a first heat input/output surface and a second heat input/output surface in contact with the measurement objects, providing heat to the measurement object, and dissipating heat from the measurement object, and is able to perform an operation of providing heat to the measurement object from one of the first heat input/output surface and the second heat input/output surface and dissipating heat from the measurement object by the other of the first heat input/output surface and the second head input/output surface,
the temperature information acquisition unit includes a first temperature measurement unit attached to the first heat input/output surface, and a second temperature measurement unit attached to the second heat input/output surface,
the gradient information acquisition unit acquires a first temperature change amount by utilizing first temperature information obtained from the first temperature measurement unit and acquires a second temperature change amount by utilizing second temperature information obtained from the second temperature measurement unit, and
the conversion unit obtains the moisture informations by utilizing the conversion information, the first temperature change amount, and the second temperature change amount.

10 more elements

A moisture sensor which obtains moisture information on moisture contained in a measurement object, the moisture sensor comprising:

a thermoelectric element disposed in the measurement object and being able to change a temperature of the measurement object;
a power supply unit supplying a current to the thermoelectric element and being able to switch a direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element;
a temperature information acquisition unit acquiring the temperature of the measurement object;
and
a moisture content acquisition unit controlling a direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element from the power supply unit and acquiring the moisture information by utilizing the temperature acquired by the temperature information acquisition unit, wherein
the moisture content acquisition unit includes a switching control unit which controls a direction of the content applied to the thermoelectric element from the power supply unit by utilizing the temperature of the measurement object,
the switching control unit performs the switching operation N times (N is an interger of 1 or more), and
the moisture content acquisition unit acquires the moisture information using an elapsed time required for the switching operation of N times.

5 more elements

A moisture sensor which obtains moisture information on moisture contained in a measurement object, the moisture sensor comprising:

a thermoelectric element disposed in the measurement object and being able to change a temperature of the measurement object,
a power supply unit supplying a current to the thermoelectric element and being able to switch a direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element,
a temperature information acquisition unit acquiring the temperature of the measurement object;
and
a moisture content acquisition unit controlling a direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element from the power supply unit and acquiring the moisture information by utilizing the temperature acquired by the temperature information acquisition unit, wherein
the moisture content acquisition unit included a switching control unit which controls a direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element from the power supply unit each time a predetermined switching time elapses, and
the moisture content acquisition unit acquires the moisture information by utilizing at least one extreme value of the temperature of the measurement object.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/248,815Filed 14 Oct 2021
Priority: JP 2020-17387815 Oct 2020
Published: 28 Dec 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G01N 25/56
Investigating or analyzing materials by the use of thermal means: by investigating moisture content
A01G 25/167
Control of watering: control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors
G01N 33/246
Earth materials: for water content
G01N 33/245
Earth materials: for agricultural purposes