Collaborative Research: SitS: Collaborative: Long Range Wirelessly Powered Multi-variable Sensor Network for Continuous Monitoring of the Soil Health

协作研究：SitS：协作：用于连续监测土壤健康的远程无线供电多变量传感器网络

• 批准号: 2226612
• 负责人: Charles Van Neste
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: Tennessee Technological University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2226612&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; SitS; Long; Range

This award was made through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" solicitation, a collaborative partnership between the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). An urgent need exists for developing inexpensive, long-term deployable sensors that can monitor variable soil conditions in real-time. Understanding the parameters that control the soil health is extremely important in managing the growth and productivity of plants as well as in maintaining soil health. One of the biggest issues associated with new sensors is delivering the power needed to operate the sensors, especially if they are intended to be left buried for long periods of time. This project aims to develop a multi-modal integrated sensor system that can be completely buried 15 cm or deeper in the soil for real-time monitoring of soil gas flows, such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, oxygen, and nitrous oxide, that gives information about soil and plant health. All the electrical power needed for the sensor operation, as well as the signal communication from the sensor, will be delivered using a through-the-soil (TTS) power transmission technique, where electrical energy is sent through the soil, eliminating the need for wires, surface antennas, or embedded batteries. Using TTS power transfer, an agricultural field can be permanently instrumented with sensors without interfering with daily farming operations. Analyzing the collected data will provide key insights related to soil health. This collaborative project involving researchers at Tennessee Technological University, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and State University of New York at Buffalo will produce new knowledge and engineering techniques that will enhance the abilities of farmers to make better decisions in the growing cycle of crops. This impact alone will reduce waste, improve crop yield, and ultimately generate greater economic income for the Nation and its farmers. The objective of this project is to conduct research toward developing the next-generation of in-situ, networked, multi-modal measurement systems for continuous and uninterrupted monitoring of soil variables over variable space and time periods. Contemporary low-cost soil monitoring systems are discrete and are incapable of detecting soil chemical variables beyond pH. The first project goal is to develop a sensor system that analyzes the vapor phase analytes outgassed during biological processes that characterize soil health. The multi-modal sensor system utilizes three orthogonal physical properties combined into a single platform to detect the analyte vapors with high chemical selectivity and sensitivity in real-time. First and second physical properties use arrays of receptor-immobilized micro-cantilevers to preconcentrate and detect mass changes. The third orthogonal method uses the same arrays to discern the molecular identity of adsorbed gases using photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS). These chemically specific, extremely sensitive, and highly compact sensors will be integrated with conventional soil sensing systems that detect moisture, temperature, and pH to create a multi-sensing probe. The second project goal is to power the sensor system using the TTS power transmission technique capable of transferring energy from an electrical power source to a plurality of multi-sensing probes over wide landscape scale areas. The aim is to provide the sensor systems with a stable, uninterruptable source of power to achieve a continuous sensor operation that does not require maintenance and is not susceptible to interferences. The wireless transmission will be accomplished by the excitation of a non-radiating pulsed conduction mode of propagation at radio frequencies. The third project goal is to analyze the data from the wirelessly powered, multi-sensor probe network in order to build predictive algorithms needed to characterize soil health and make critical growing decisions. The research goals of this project will be transformative in broadening understanding of soil health and lead to better environmental practices and enhanced agricultural production. The data and knowledge uncovered during the project will have profound impacts in many areas of science, engineering, and industry. The outcomes of this work include: (1) A historical first in real-time collection of physiochemical specific data in a high spatial and temporal density over a landscape size area and (2) Demonstration of a completely new method of wireless electrical power transmission over a landscape area. Such an engineering achievement will not only have a transformative impact in soil science and agriculture, but in other fields, including renewable energy, power distribution, and national security.This collaborative research project is co-funded by the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport (CBET) Division in the Engineering Directorate, the Chemistry (CHE) Division in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Information and Intelligent Systems (IEE) Division in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and the Office of Polar Programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项是通过“土壤中的信号（坐着）”招标颁发的，这是国家科学基金会与美国农业部国家食品和农业研究所（USDA NIFA）之间的合作伙伴关系。迫切需要开发廉价，长期可部署的传感器，这些传感器可以实时监测可变的土壤条件。了解控制土壤健康的参数对于管理植物的生长和生产力以及维持土壤健康非常重要。与新传感器相关的最大问题之一是提供操作传感器所需的功能，尤其是如果要长时间埋葬它们。该项目旨在开发一种多模式集成的传感器系统，该系统可以完全掩埋15厘米或更深的土壤中，以实时监测土壤气流，例如二氧化碳，氨，氧气，氧气和一氧化二氮，可提供有关土壤和植物健康的信息。传感器操作所需的所有电力以及传感器的信号通信将使用贯穿土壤（TTS）电源传输技术传递，其中通过土壤发送电能，消除了对电线，表面天线或嵌入电池的需求。使用TTS电力传输，可以永久用传感器来实现农业领域，而不会干扰日常农业行动。分析收集的数据将提供与土壤健康有关的关键见解。这个合作项目涉及田纳西技术大学，田纳西州诺克斯维尔大学和纽约州立大学布法罗州立大学的研究人员，将生产新的知识和工程技术，从而增强农民在不断增长的农作物周期中做出更好决策的能力。仅这种影响将减少浪费，提高农作物的产量，并最终为国家及其农民带来更大的经济收入。该项目的目的是进行研究，以开发原位，网络，多模式测量系统的下一代，以在可变的空间和时间段上对土壤变量的连续和不间断监测。当代的低成本土壤监测系统是离散的，无法检测到pH之外的土壤化学变量。第一个项目的目标是开发一个传感器系统，该系统分析在特征土壤健康的生物过程中，蒸气期分析物胜过。多模式传感器系统利用三个正交物理特性组合成一个平台，以实时检测具有高化学选择性和灵敏度的分析物蒸气。第一和第二物理特性使用受体侵蚀的微型委托人的阵列来预浓缩和检测质量变化。第三个正交方法使用相同的阵列使用光热偏转光谱（PDS）辨别吸附气体的分子身份。这些化学特异性，非常敏感且高度紧凑的传感器将与传统的土壤传感系统集成，以检测水分，温度和pH值，以创建多感应探针。第二个项目目标是使用TTS功率传输技术为传感器系统供电，该技术能够将能量从电力源传输到宽景观尺度区域上的多种多感应探针。目的是为传感器系统提供稳定，不间断的功率来源，以实现不需要维护并且不容易干扰的连续传感器操作。无线传输将通过在无线电频率下激发非辐射脉冲传播模式来实现。第三个项目的目标是分析来自无线电动的多传感器探针网络的数据，以建立表征土壤健康并做出关键成长决策所需的预测算法。该项目的研究目标将具有变革性的变革性，以扩大对土壤健康的了解，并带来更好的环境实践并增强农业生产。项目期间发现的数据和知识将在许多科学，工程和工业领域产生深远的影响。这项工作的结果包括：（1）在景观尺寸区域高空间和时间密度中实时收集物理学特定数据的历史第一，以及（2）在景观区域上展示了一种全新的无线电力传输方法。 Such an engineering achievement will not only have a transformative impact in soil science and agriculture, but in other fields, including renewable energy, power distribution, and national security.This collaborative research project is co-funded by the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport (CBET) Division in the Engineering Directorate, the Chemistry (CHE) Division in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Information and Intelligent Systems (IEE) Division in the计算机和信息科学与工程局以及《极地计划办公室》。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的评论标准来评估值得支持的。

项目成果

Through the Soil Long Range Wireless Power Transfer for Agricultural IoT Networks

通过土壤进行农业物联网远距离无线电力传输

• DOI: 10.1109/tie.2023.3250743
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics
• 影响因子: 7.7
• 作者: Nieman, Brandon T.;Johnson, Christopher S.;Pearce, Matthew;Marcrum, Tyler;Thorne, M. Caleb;Ashby, Carter;Neste, C. W.
• 通讯作者: Neste, C. W.