Description:BACKGROUND
Field of Invention
[001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a health monitoring system, particularly to a plant health monitoring system.
Description of Related Art
[002] Agricultural success relies on accurate evaluation of plant conditions and early detection of biotic and abiotic stress. Manual methods for field inspection often led to delays, human error, and inconsistent results. These traditional approaches impose constraints in terms of scale, speed, and precision, especially in extensive or remote farming areas.
[003] Several technological systems have assisted crop monitoring by offering insights into environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and soil characteristics. However, most available tools operate with limited scope, require frequent human intervention, and depend on power-heavy configurations. Many of these do not support the seamless integration of biological indices or region-specific adaptation, which restricts their effectiveness in diverse agricultural settings.
[004] Existing platforms focus largely on static data capture and simple threshold-based alerts. These systems lack depth in real-time analysis, adaptability, and multi-parameter coordination. Furthermore, commercial solutions rarely include advanced ecological indicators which provide critical signals of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics.
[005] There is thus a need for an improved and advanced plant health monitoring system that can administer the aforementioned limitations in a more efficient manner.
SUMMARY
[006] Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a plant health monitoring system. The system comprising wireless sensor nodes, installed in an agricultural field, adapted to sense environmental data. The wireless sensor nodes are selected from temperature sensors, humidity sensors, soil moisture sensors, microphones, vibration sensors, or a combination thereof. The system further comprising a base station, installed in a central monitoring premises, adapted to be in communication with the wireless sensor nodes. The system further comprising a computational unit communicatively connected to the base station. The computational unit is configured to establish a communicative link between the base station and the wireless sensor nodes using a communication unit; receive the sensed environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes using the established link; store the received environmental data in a storage unit; enable a user to select a sector in the agricultural field and the environmental data from the corresponding agricultural field to view the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector. The selection is made using a user interface of a computing device, and display the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector onto the user interface of the computing device.
[007] Embodiments in accordance with the present invention further provide a method for remotely monitoring a plant health. The method comprising steps of establishing a communicative link between a base station and wireless sensor nodes using a communication unit; receiving sensed environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes using the established link; storing the received environmental data in a storage unit; enabling a user to select a sector in the agricultural field and the environmental data from the corresponding agricultural field to view the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector. The selection is made using a user interface of a computing device; and displaying the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector onto the user interface of the computing device.
[008] Embodiments of the present invention may provide a number of advantages depending on their particular configuration. First, embodiments of the present application may provide a plant health monitoring system.
[009] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a plant health monitoring system that enables immediate monitoring of vital environmental and biological parameters such as soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), ensuring timely responses to potential threats.
[0010] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a plant health monitoring system that ensures low power consumption, which results in extended operational life of sensor nodes and reduced maintenance efforts in field deployment.
[0011] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a plant health monitoring system that allows users to access live data and system outputs remotely through cloud services for continuous field supervision without physical presence.
[0012] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a plant health monitoring system that supports flexible addition or removal of sensor nodes to make the system suitable for small-scale gardens as well as large agricultural lands.
[0013] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a plant health monitoring system that integrates ACI as a biodiversity indicator, offering insights into larval activity and overall ecosystem health, which aids in proactive pest and crop management.
[0014] These and other advantages will be apparent from the present application of the embodiments described herein.
[0015] The preceding is a simplified summary to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present invention. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the present invention and its various embodiments. The summary presents selected concepts of the embodiments of the present invention in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the present invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The above and still further features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of a plant health monitoring system, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary user interface of a computing device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary user interface of the computing device, according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a computational unit, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of a method for remotely monitoring a plant health, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures. Optional portions of the figures may be illustrated using dashed or dotted lines, unless the context of usage indicates otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear from this description of the invention that the invention is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
[0024] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising", "comprises”, and the like (which are synonymous with "including", "having” and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of", “consists essentially of", and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of", "consists of”, the like.
[0025] As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.
[0026] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of a plant health monitoring system 100 (hereinafter referred to as the system 100), according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 may be adapted to monitor a plant health by measuring and sensing environmental data in a proximity of a plant. Further, the system 100 may be adapted to enable a user to review the measured and sensed environmental data. The plant may be, but not limited to, a flowering plant, a crop, a herb, a shrub, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the plant, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0027] According to the embodiments of the present invention, the system 100 may incorporate non-limiting hardware components to enhance the processing speed and efficiency such as the system 100 may comprise wireless sensor nodes 102a-102n (hereinafter referred individually to as the wireless sensor node 102, and plurally to as the wireless sensor nodes 102), a base station 104, a computational unit 106, a communication unit 108, a storage unit 110, a computing device 112, and a user interface 114. In an embodiment of the present invention, the hardware components of the system 100 may be integrated with computer-executable instructions for overcoming the challenges and the limitations of the existing systems.
[0028] In an embodiment of the present invention, the wireless sensor nodes 102 may be installed in an agricultural field. The wireless sensor nodes 102 may be installed centrally in the agricultural field, in an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the wireless sensor nodes 102 may be installed distributedly in the agricultural field. The distributive arrangement of the wireless sensor nodes 102 in the agricultural field may virtually partition the agricultural field into a plurality of sectors. The wireless sensor nodes 102 may be adapted to sense the environmental data. The environmental data may be, but not limited to, plant health, a larvae population, a soil fertility, a soil temperature, a soil moisturization, an Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the environmental data, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies, sensed by the wireless sensor nodes 102. The wireless sensor nodes 102 may be, but not limited to, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, soil moisture sensors, microphones, vibration sensors, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the wireless sensor nodes 102.
[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention, the base station 104 may be installed in a central monitoring premises. The central monitoring premises may be a local establishment established close to and/or within the agricultural field, in an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the central monitoring premises may be a remote establishment located far away from the agricultural field. The base station 104 may be adapted to be in a real-time continuous and a latency-free communication with the wireless sensor nodes 102. A distance between the base station 104 and the wireless sensor nodes 102 may be in a range from 0 meters to 50 meters, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] The computational unit 106 may further be configured to execute computer-executable instructions to generate an output relating to the system 100. According to embodiments of the present invention, the computational unit 106 may be, but not limited to, a Programmable Logic Control (PLC) unit, a microprocessor, a development board, and so forth. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computational unit 106 may be an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) architecture based processor. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the computational unit 106, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. In an embodiment of the present invention, the computational unit 106 may further be explained in conjunction with FIG. 2.
[0031] In an embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 108 may be adapted to establish a communicative link between the base station 104 and the wireless sensor nodes 102. The communicative link may enable a data transmission between the base station 104 and the wireless sensor nodes 102. The communication unit 108 may be, but not limited to a wired communication network, a wireless communication network, and so forth. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 108 may operate on a ZigBee protocol. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the communication unit 108, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0032] The wired communication network may be enabled by means such as, but not limited to, a twisted pair cable, a co-axial cable, an Ethernet cable, a modem, a router, a switch, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the means that may enable the wired communication network, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. The wireless communication network may be enabled by means such as, but not limited to, a Wi-Fi communication module, a Bluetooth communication module, a millimeter waves communication module, an Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) communication module, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the means that may enable the wireless communication network, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit 110 may be adapted to receive the environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes 102. The storage unit 110 may further be adapted to store the environmental data received from the wireless sensor nodes 102. The storage unit 110 may be, but not limited to, a Random-Access Memory (RAM), a Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM), a Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory (EEPROM), a cache memory, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a Solid-State Drive (SSD), and so forth. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit 110 may be a NAND based Secure Digital (SD) card. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the storage unit 110, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the computing device 112 may be an electronic device used by the user. The computing device 112 may be in connectivity with the base station 104 via the communication unit 108. The computing device 112 may be locally established with the agricultural field and/or the base station 104, in an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the computing device 112 may be remotely established with the agricultural field and/or the base station 104. The computing device 112 may comprise the user interface 114. The user interface 114 may enable the user to carry out several number of operations on the computing device 112 relating to the system 100. The computing device 112 may be, but not limited to a smartphone, a laptop, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the computing device 112, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0035] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary user interface such as the user interface 114 of the computing device 112, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the user interface 114 of the computing device 112 may enable the user to select the sector in the agricultural field. Further, the user interface 114 of the computing device 112 may enable the user to view the environmental data of the selected sector. The user interface 114 of the computing device 112 may enable the user to schedule harvest regions in the sectors of the agricultural field based on the environmental data. Moreover, the user interface 114 of the computing device 112 may enable the user to calculate and view an average Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI) corresponding to the sector. The average Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI) may be calculated based on the environmental data of the corresponding sector.
[0036] FIG. 1C illustrates the user interface 114 of the computing device 112, according to another embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the user interface 114 may be configured to provide a Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) processed output representation of the environmental data. Further, the user interface 114 may display the environmental data such as, but not limited to, the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), the average Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), the temperature, the humidity, the moisture, the soil temperature, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any environmental data, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies, that may be displayed on the user interface 114 of the computing device 112.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the computational unit 106, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The computational unit 106 may comprise the computer-executable instructions in form of programming modules such as a data linkage module 200, a data receiving module 202, a data storage module 204, and a user interaction module 206.
[0038] In an embodiment of the present invention, the data linkage module 200 may be adapted to establish a communicative link between the base station 104 and the wireless sensor nodes 102 using the communication unit 108. Upon establishment of the communicative link, the data linkage module 200 may transmit an activation signal to the data receiving module 202.
[0039] The data receiving module 202 may be activated upon receipt of the activation signal from the data linkage module 200. In an embodiment of the present invention, the data receiving module 202 may be configured to receive the sensed environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes 102 using the established link. Upon receipt of the sensed environmental data, the data receiving module 202 may be configured to activate the data storage module 204.
[0040] The data storage module 204 may be activated upon receipt of the environmental data from the data receiving module 202. In an embodiment of the present invention, the data storage module 204 may be configured to store the received environmental data in the storage unit 110. Upon storage of the received environmental data, the data storage module 204 may be configured to activate the user interaction module 206.
[0041] The user interaction module 206 may be activated upon storage of the environmental data in the storage unit 110. In an embodiment of the present invention, the user interaction module 206 may be configured to enable the user to select the sector in the agricultural field. Along with the sector, the user interaction module 206 may be configured to enable the user to select the environmental data, from the selected sector. Further, upon selection of the sector and the environmental data, the user interaction module 206 may be configured to display the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector onto the user interface 114 of the computing device 112.
[0042] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of a method 300 for remotely monitoring the plant health using the system 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0043] At step 302, the system 100 may establish the communicative link between the base station 104 and the wireless sensor nodes 102 using the communication unit 108.
[0044] At step 304, the system 100 may receive the sensed environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes 102 using the established link.
[0045] At step 306, the system 100 may store the received environmental data in the storage unit 110.
[0046] At step 308, the system 100 may enable the user to select the sector in the agricultural field and the environmental data from the corresponding agricultural field to view the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector.
[0047] At step 310, the system 100 may enable the display of the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector onto the user interface 114 of the computing device 112.
[0048] While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and various embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.
[0049] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined in the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements within substantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. , Claims:CLAIMS
I/We Claim:
1. A plant health monitoring system (100), the system (100) comprising:
wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n), installed in an agricultural field, adapted to sense environmental data, wherein the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) are selected from temperature sensors, humidity sensors, soil moisture sensors, microphones, vibration sensors, or a combination thereof;
a base station (104), installed in a central monitoring premises, adapted to be in communication with the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n); and
a computational unit (106) communicatively connected to the base station (104), characterized in that the computational unit (106) is configured to:
establish a communicative link between the base station (104) and the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) using a communication unit (108);
receive the sensed environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) using the established link;
store the received environmental data in a storage unit (110);
enable a user to select a sector in the agricultural field and the environmental data from the corresponding agricultural field to view the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector, wherein the selection is made using a user interface (114) of a computing device (112); and
display the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector onto the user interface (114) of the computing device (112).
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the environmental data is selected from a plant health, a larvae population, a soil fertility, a soil temperature, a soil moisturization, an Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), or a combination thereof.
3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computational unit (106) is an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) architecture based processor.
4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between the base station (104) and the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) is in a range from 0 meters to 50 meters.
5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit (108) operates on a ZigBee protocol.
6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit (110) is a NAND based Secure Digital (SD) card.
7. A method (300) for remotely monitoring a plant health, the method (300) is characterized by steps of:
establishing a communicative link between a base station (104) and wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) using a communication unit (108);
receiving sensed environmental data from the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) using the established link;
storing the received environmental data in a storage unit (110);
enabling a user to select a sector in the agricultural field and the environmental data from the corresponding agricultural field to view the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector, wherein the selection is made using a user interface (114) of a computing device (112); and
displaying the stored environmental data from the corresponding sector onto the user interface (114) of the computing device (112).
8. The method (300) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the environmental data is selected from a plant health, a larvae population, a soil fertility, a soil temperature, a soil moisturization, an Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), or a combination thereof.
9. The method (300) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wireless sensor nodes (102a-102n) are selected from temperature sensors, humidity sensors, soil moisture sensors, microphones, vibration sensors, or a combination thereof.
10. The method (300) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the storage unit (110) is a NAND based Secure Digital (SD) card.
Date: April 17, 2025
Place: Noida

Nainsi Rastogi
Patent Agent (IN/PA-2372)
Agent for the Applicant