Sustainable Sensor Node for Smart Farming
Disciplines
Computer-Aided Engineering and Design | Digital Circuits | Digital Communications and Networking | Electrical and Electronics
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This project is focused on the development of a low-cost and sustainable sensor node for smart farming that can be operational for years with little to zero maintenance. The developed device is designed to provide farmers with valuable real-time information and aid in maximizing crop yields by enabling automated smart farming. The heart of the system is a field deployable sensor node that houses multiple sensors to measure soil conductivity, pH, moisture, temperature, and humidity. The developed sensor node device has an appearance comparable with commercial solar LED garden light sticks. The enclosure is made from food-safe non-recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which houses all electronics and sensors and protects them against the vagaries of the environment. The sensor node is coupled with the LoRa module to facilitate long-distance communication and transmit information to an online database. With integrated LoRa, our node offers about 2 km of coverage in outdoor environments. In addition, our system has low power requirements and offers simpler network integration. Moreover, the sensor node is low-cost and easily configurable through firmware, which makes it feasible to be used not only in large-scale agricultural fields, but also usable in small-scale commercial farms, nurseries, and for private use, such as in the backyard garden of a house. The batteryless self-sustainable sensor node device has integrated solar cells on top and is equipped with an energy harvesting circuit and a supercapacitor for energy storage. An ARM-based microprocessor controls the whole system by managing the sleep and wake cycles, reading sensor data using SPI and I2C protocols, and transmitting the measured data.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Sandip Das
Sustainable Sensor Node for Smart Farming
This project is focused on the development of a low-cost and sustainable sensor node for smart farming that can be operational for years with little to zero maintenance. The developed device is designed to provide farmers with valuable real-time information and aid in maximizing crop yields by enabling automated smart farming. The heart of the system is a field deployable sensor node that houses multiple sensors to measure soil conductivity, pH, moisture, temperature, and humidity. The developed sensor node device has an appearance comparable with commercial solar LED garden light sticks. The enclosure is made from food-safe non-recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which houses all electronics and sensors and protects them against the vagaries of the environment. The sensor node is coupled with the LoRa module to facilitate long-distance communication and transmit information to an online database. With integrated LoRa, our node offers about 2 km of coverage in outdoor environments. In addition, our system has low power requirements and offers simpler network integration. Moreover, the sensor node is low-cost and easily configurable through firmware, which makes it feasible to be used not only in large-scale agricultural fields, but also usable in small-scale commercial farms, nurseries, and for private use, such as in the backyard garden of a house. The batteryless self-sustainable sensor node device has integrated solar cells on top and is equipped with an energy harvesting circuit and a supercapacitor for energy storage. An ARM-based microprocessor controls the whole system by managing the sleep and wake cycles, reading sensor data using SPI and I2C protocols, and transmitting the measured data.