KR20160074354A - Digital soil hardness automatic measurement device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic digital soil hardness measuring device and, more specifically, relates to an automatic digital soil hardness measuring device capable of obtaining an accurate and reliable hardness value by operating a measurement rod using an air container wherein a compressor is installed and a servo motor driven by air regularly supplied from the air container without manually pushing the measurement rod and easy to operate. In addition, the automatic digital soil hardness measuring device is capable of measuring not only the hardness value, but also various soil properties by installing a soil moisture measuring sensor or a conductance measuring sensor with a compressor sensor and establishing a network system capable of generally managing soil properties of each region by using a central server by transmitting and receiving various kinds of data to/from with an external device through a wireless communication.

Description

{Digital soil hardness automatic measurement device}

The present invention relates to an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus, and more particularly to a digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus for measuring a digital soil hardness of a submotor which is driven by an air passage provided with a compressor, , It is possible to obtain accurate and reliable hardness value and easy operation. By adding soil moisture sensor or electric conductivity sensor together with pressure sensor, it is possible to simultaneously measure various physical properties of soil in addition to hardness value And can transmit and receive various data to / from an external device via wireless communication, so that it is possible to construct a network system capable of collectively managing soil characteristics by region using a central server or the like .

Soil is a natural body that is formed by mixing weathered products of rocks and organic matter from various kinds of animals and plants, and undergoing the action of climatic organisms and the like, and the change is always continuous to form an equilibrium with environmental conditions. It is a thin layer covering the surface of the earth. It is a place where plants grow mechanically and feeds a part of nutrients by containing air and water properly.

The composition of the soil is composed of three phases of solid phase liquid phase, and the ratio of three phases is relatively different depending on the kind of soil and environmental condition. In general, the three basic materials that make up the soil are called soil three phases.

(1) Solid phase

   ① It is composed of inorganic matter, which is a weathering product of rock, and organic matter, supplied from plants and animals.

   ② It consists of pebbly sand mass and clay.

(2) liquid phase

   ① Soil moisture contains various organic and inorganic substances and ions.

   ② O2 and CO2 are also dissolved.

(3) weather

① Soil air has lower O2 concentration and higher CO2 concentration than air

The four components of the soil are the four basic substances that make up the soil. Among the three phases, the solid phase is classified into inorganic and organic matters.

Mineral + organic + soil moisture + soil air

The ratio of three phases favoring plant growth is known as solid (45% of minerals + 5% of organic matter) + liquid (25%) + weather (25%) → silt loam.

The relationship between the ratio of soil 3 phase and plant growth is as follows.

(1) When the gas phase and the liquid phase are large

① Agricultural land Soil and corrosion are more frequent, and the rate of meteorological and liquid phase is larger when the soil is adhered.

② It is a soil favorable for growing crops.

(2) When the solid phase is large

① Uncultivated soil The more soil, clay or sand, the higher the ratio of solid phase

② Soil is adverse to crop growth.

In this phase of soil 3, the roots of the plant must extend into the soil and the soil must be flexible. So the strength of the soil that resists against external intrusions is called hardness.

Most of the hardness measuring instruments used in the soil cross-sectional survey conducted in Korea are imported from Japan or foreign equipments. Among them, the analog type acid pickling (Yamanaka formula) soil hardness meter is mainly used.

Fig. 4 is a photograph showing the acid-hardened (Yamanaka) hardness meter. In the acid hardness tester, the shrinkage amount of the spring having a pressure of 8 kg is expressed in the analog measurement value in mm. The actual user is measuring the subjective pressure by applying the long experience and proficiency level of the user without recognizing the accurate pressure applied to the measurement in general.

In this case, since the measurement value is different depending on the pressure applied to the hardness meter by the user, the measurement value is often unreliable, and the measured value is displayed as an analog value, making it difficult to recognize the accurate value.

Therefore, the equipment to be developed in this project is to digitize the existing passive measurement method with IT technology so that the hardness of the soil can be measured at a constant pressure regardless of who uses it, Thereby increasing convenience. In addition, it is necessary to develop a digital soil hardness automatic measuring device which can contribute to the improvement of the farm income by providing the farmers with the low price in terms of cost by localizing the measuring equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an air passage, which is equipped with a compressor, Which is capable of obtaining an accurate and reliable hardness value.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus which is convenient to use and operate because the measured pressure value is converted into a hardness value in the control unit and displayed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus capable of simultaneously measuring various properties of soil in addition to the hardness value by providing a soil moisture measuring sensor or an electric conductivity measuring sensor together with a pressure sensor at the lower end of the measuring rod will be.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a network system capable of collectively managing soil characteristics and the like by using a central server or the like because digital data can be exchanged with an external device through wireless communication, And an automatic measuring device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for automatically measuring soil hardness, comprising: a frame; A measuring rod mounted on the frame so as to be movable up and down; An air passage installed in the frame, a compressor connected to one side to receive air, and a supply hose connected to the other side to supply air; A sub motor for driving the measuring rod to a predetermined pressure by driving using air supplied from the air cylinder; A hardness measuring unit provided on the measuring rod; A controller for converting a value measured by the hardness measuring unit into a hardness value; And a display unit for displaying a value measured by the hardness measuring unit or a hardness value converted by the control unit.

In the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the air cylinder is provided with an air cylinder pressure sensor so as to keep the internal pressure constant, and the control unit receives the pressure measured by the air cylinder pressure sensor, Off of the compressor is controlled so that the compressor is maintained.

In addition, a soil moisture measuring sensor or an electric conductivity measuring sensor is provided at the lower end of the measuring rod of the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention, and the measured soil moisture content and electric conductivity value are displayed on the display unit .

In addition, the control unit of the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that wireless communication means capable of transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device is provided.

The hardness measuring means of the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention is a pressure sensor provided at the lower end of the measuring rod and the control unit displays the hardness value obtained by converting the pressure measured by the pressure sensor on the display unit And a control unit.

The hardness measuring means of the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention is a pressure sensor provided at the lower end of the distance measuring apparatus for measuring the elevating distance of the measuring rod.

According to the apparatus for automatically measuring digital soil hardness according to the present invention as described above, it is possible to provide an air passage provided with a compressor, a sub-motor driven through an air constantly supplied from an air cylinder, It is possible to obtain an accurate and reliable hardness value.

Further, according to the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus of the present invention, since the measured pressure value is converted into the hardness value in the control unit and displayed, it is convenient to use and operate.

In addition, according to the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus of the present invention, a soil moisture measuring sensor or an electric conductivity measuring sensor is installed at the lower end of a measuring rod together with a pressure sensor to measure various physical properties of the soil in addition to the hardness value .

According to the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus of the present invention, since various data can be transmitted and received with an external device through wireless communication, a network system capable of collectively managing the soil characteristics and the like for each region by using a central server Can be constructed.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring soil hardness by an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the description of the present invention, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

1 and 2, the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention can maintain the measurement pressure constant at all times, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability, and includes a frame, a measuring rod, an air passage, A motor, hardness measuring means, a control unit, and a display unit.

Specifically, the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention comprises a frame, a measuring rod mounted on the frame so as to be able to move up and down, a compressor installed on the frame, a compressor connected to receive air at one side, A sub motor which is driven by using an air supplied from the air cylinder to lower the measuring bar to a set pressure, hardness measuring means provided in the measuring rod, A control unit for converting a value into a hardness value, and a display unit for displaying a value measured by the hardness measuring unit or a hardness value converted by the control unit.

In order to stably install the frame on the ground, the frame is provided with four support posts placed on the ground, a handle is provided on the upper portion to facilitate transportation, and a measurement rod insertion hole is formed in the central region.

The measuring rod compresses the soil to be measured. The measuring rod is inserted into the measuring rod insertion hole, and a gear portion is formed on one side to raise and lower the power by a power supplied from the sub motor, and the lower end has a sharp conical shape. In addition, a scale may be formed on the measurement rod so that the user can visually confirm the ascending / descending distance.

The compressor is provided at one side of the air cylinder so that the inside of the air cylinder can be maintained at a constant pressure, and the other side is in communication with the sub motor through a hose.

The sub-motor is a known pneumatic motor that is driven by using air supplied through the air cylinder, which is coupled to the measuring rod and supplies power to the measuring rod to raise and lower the measuring rod. The detailed configuration of the pneumatic motor corresponds to the already known matters and its detailed description will be omitted.

The hardness measuring means may be a pressure sensor provided at the lower end of the measuring rod.

The pressure sensor measures a pressure generated when the measuring rod compresses the soil, and the measured pressure value is transmitted to the control unit.

On the other hand, the hardness measuring means may be a distance measuring device for measuring the lifting distance of the measuring rod.

The distance measuring device may calculate the hardness by directly or indirectly using the distance (elevating distance) penetrated into the soil by the measuring rod similarly to the conventional acid-type hardness tester.

The control unit converts a value measured by the hardness measuring unit, for example, a pressure value obtained from the pressure sensor into a hardness value.

In addition, the control unit maintains a constant air pressure supplied to the sub motor from the air cylinder.

Conventionally, since the hardness meter is pressed to the soil with the intuition of the user, there is a problem that the hardness value changes every time the user changes or the same user, but the compression force of the measuring rod is kept constant by using the constant air pressure as in the present invention. So that the accuracy of the measured value is improved.

That is, the control unit receives the pressure measured by the air passage pressure sensor and controls on / off of the compressor so that a preset pressure is maintained.

For example, when the pressure of the air cylinder is low, air is supplied to the air cylinder by driving the compressor. An air cylinder pressure sensor is installed at one side of the air cylinder to measure the pressure of the air cylinder.

The control unit controls the display unit to display a hardness value obtained by converting the pressure measured by the pressure sensor, and includes a start button, a reset button, an operation button, a timer button for setting a compression time of the measurement rod, .

The controller may be provided with wireless communication means capable of transmitting / receiving various data including a hardness value to / from an external device. The wireless communication means may be a Bluetooth which is paired with a PC, a smart phone, For example.

The display unit may be an LCD monitor that visually displays various data including a hardness value. However, the display unit may include a speaker or the like that displays audio only.

The sensor may further include a sensor for confirming soil information other than the hardness value at the lower end of the measuring rod. The sensor may be a soil moisture sensor or a soil conductivity sensor for determining the moisture content of the soil For example.

Hereinafter, the operation of the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring soil hardness by an automatic digital soil hardness measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIGS. 1 and 2, measurement is started when the start button is pressed first, and compression time or compression force previously set in the control unit can be reset by pressing the reset button.

Next, when the measurement is started, the pressure of the air cylinder is checked through the air cylinder pressure sensor. When the pressure is lower than the set pressure, air is supplied into the air cylinder by driving the compressor, And the sub motor is operated. During the measurement, the air is supplied to the compressor so that the air pressure in the air cylinder is kept constant.

When the sub motor is operated and the measuring rod touches the surface of the soil at a constant pressure, a pressure sensor provided at the lower end of the measuring rod starts to operate. The pressure sensor transmits the pressure value until the measurement rod penetrates into the soil for a preset time at a constant pressure and stops.

The control unit converts the pressure value received from the pressure sensor into a hardness value so as to cause the display unit to display the measured value, and stores the measured value.

In order to obtain a more accurate hardness value even after the primary hardness is measured, continuous measurement may be performed. Alternatively, when the hardness measurement is completed by operating the power button, the sub motor may be operated to automatically move the measurement rod to the home position.

In conclusion, the digital soil hardness automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention is capable of automatically measuring the hardness of the soil from the measuring rod to the soil due to the organic action of the air passage, the sub motor, and the control unit installed in the compressor, The applied pressure can be kept constant until the measurement is completed, and an accurate and reliable soil hardness value can be obtained.

Thus, the accurately measured soil hardness value can be used in a variety of fields such as crops, orchards, forests, parks, roads, landscaping, slope restoration, etc., which require investigation of plant growth environment. It can be expected that the farmers will be able to improve their income by providing the optimal environment necessary for the growth of crops.

While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (6)

An apparatus for automatically measuring soil hardness, comprising:
A frame;
A measuring rod mounted on the frame so as to be movable up and down;
An air passage installed in the frame, a compressor connected to one side to receive air, and a supply hose connected to the other side to supply air;
A sub motor for driving the measuring rod to a predetermined pressure by driving using air supplied from the air cylinder;
A hardness measuring unit provided on the measuring rod;
A controller for converting a value measured by the hardness measuring unit into a hardness value;
A display unit for displaying a value measured by the hardness measuring unit or a hardness value converted by the controller;
Wherein the digital soil hardness is measured by a computer.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the air cylinder is provided with an air passage pressure sensor so as to keep the internal pressure constant,
Wherein the control unit receives the pressure measured by the air passage pressure sensor and controls on / off of the compressor so that a preset pressure is maintained.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the measuring rod is provided with a soil moisture measuring sensor or an electric conductivity measuring sensor at the lower end thereof and the measured soil moisture content and electric conductivity value are displayed on the display unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit is provided with wireless communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device.
The method according to claim 1,
The hardness measuring means is a pressure sensor provided at the lower end of the measuring rod,
Wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display a hardness value obtained by converting the pressure measured by the pressure sensor.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the hardness measuring means is a pressure sensor provided at the lower end of the measuring rod, the distance measuring device measuring the elevating distance of the measuring rod.

Images