Claims:1. An apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management, comprising:

at least one control unit (1) that is configured to monitor and control the operations of the apparatus, said at least one control unit (1) being configured to be communicatively associated with a server (17);

at least one crop sensing mechanism (2), said at least one crop sensing mechanism (2) comprising at least one crop sensing device (3) that is configured to detect at least one parameter in relation to a crop and transmit the detected at least one parameter to the at least one control unit (1);

at least one irrigation sensing mechanism, said at least one irrigation sensing mechanism comprising: at least one irrigation sensing device (9); and at least one rain sensing device that is configured to detect rainfall, said at least one irrigation sensing device (9) and said at least one rain sensing device being associated with at least one irrigation system, said at least one irrigation system comprising at least one pump (10) and at least one unit that supplies water from the pump to a crop, said irrigation system being continuously monitored by the at least one irrigation sensing mechanism when irrigation is on;

at least one nutrient sensing mechanism, said at least one nutrient sensing mechanism comprising at least one tank (7) with pump, with at least one nutrient sensing device (6) being associated with the at least one tank (7);

the server (17), said server (17) being configured to: comprise at least one analytical module and at least one extensive knowledge base to support the at least one analytical module; and calculate the minimum stock requirement for a farm and place an order on behalf of a user automatically (13), said at least one analytical module being configured to analyse the current status of the crop and its environment, and suggest remedial action, if any, based on the information in the respective extensive knowledge base, and said at least one extensive knowledge base being configured to learn and improve itself based on the data received continuously from the other components of the apparatus; and

an application installable on a computing device (15) that is configured to geofence a farm (5) and control the apparatus remotely, said application installable on a computing device (15) being communicatively associated with the server (17).

2. The apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one crop sensing mechanism (2) comprises at least one image sensor that is configured to capture images of the crop at pre-defined intervals and transmit the captured images to the at least one control unit (1).

3. The apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one climate control mechanism, if the cultivation of crops is performed in a controlled environment (12), said at least one climate control mechanism being configured to detect at least one parameter, and transmit the detected information to the at least one control unit (1), and said at least one climate control mechanism comprising at least one climate sensing device (11) and at least one climate control equipment.

4. The apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server (17) is the cloud.
, Description:TITLE OF THE INVENTION: AN APPARATUS FOR AUTONOMOUS PRECISION FARMING AND MANAGEMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is generally related to an apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Farming of crops is required to feed the ever growing human population. However, current farming practices suffer from the following drawbacks:
Existing automation systems are not designed for precision agriculture with crop-specific knowledge and intelligent built-in. To carry out such precision farming using existing systems, various sensors and controllers have to be procured from many vendors and integrated to give a single meaningful solution. Off the shelf precision farming technology platforms do not exist.
Existing automation systems feature time-bound irrigation or volumetric irrigation, and are not based on real-time water requirement of the soil. Most of these systems that are currently available are exorbitantly expensive. Such systems may cause either over or under utilization of water, resulting in poor performance of crops, in addition to leading to water scarcity. Likewise, they may also cause over or under utilization of fertilizers, resulting in poor performance of crops, in addition to leading to soil degradation.
Existing systems also do not predict the fertilizer requirements, leading to over or under stocking. Likewise, they are also not capable of forecasting the yield and connecting buyers, resulting in last minute rush in sale of produces
There is, therefore, a need in the art for an apparatus for end-to-end autonomous precision farming and management that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and shortcomings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management is disclosed. The apparatus comprises at least one control unit that is configured to monitor and control the operations of the apparatus, said at least one control unit being configured to be communicatively associated with a server.
At least one crop sensing mechanism comprises at least one crop sensing device that is configured to detect at least one parameter in relation to a crop and transmit the detected at least one parameter to the at least one control unit.
At least one irrigation sensing mechanism comprises: at least one irrigation sensing device; and at least one rain sensing device that is configured to detect rainfall, said at least one irrigation sensing device and said at least one rain sensing device being associated with at least one irrigation system. The at least one irrigation system comprises at least one pump and at least one unit that supplies water from the pump to a crop, said irrigation system being continuously monitored by the at least one irrigation sensing mechanism when irrigation is on.
At least one nutrient sensing mechanism, comprises at least one tank with pump, with at least one nutrient sensing device being associated with the at least one tank.
The server is configured to: comprise at least one analytical module and at least one extensive knowledge base to support the at least one analytical module; and calculate the minimum stock requirement for a farm and place an order on behalf of a user automatically.
Said at least one analytical module is configured to analyse the current status of the crop and its environment, and suggest remedial action, if any, based on the information in the respective extensive knowledge base.
Said at least one extensive knowledge base is configured to learn and improve itself based on the data received continuously from the other components of the apparatus.

An application installable on a computing device is configured to geofence a farm and control the apparatus remotely, said application installable on a computing device being communicatively associated with the server.
The disclosed apparatus offers the following advantages: approximately 50-60% reduction in water usage; approximately 20-35% increase in productivity; leaves the least possible residues of farm inputs in the soil, which ensures the farms are maintained fertile for longer period; optimized stock maintenance; purchasers are able to know well in advance the possible farm produces, and, similarly, suppliers/farmers are able to plan their production; and service providers are able to understand the service needs of all farms in their neighbourhood and optimally utilize their resources.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management, in accordance with the present disclosure.
Figure 2 illustrates a workflow of an embodiment of an apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management, in accordance with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Throughout this specification, the use of the word "comprise" and “include” and variations such as "comprises "comprising", “includes”, and “including “implies the inclusion of an element or elements not specifically recited.
Throughout this specification, the use of the term ‘user’ or ‘users’ is to be construed as being either at least one farmer or at least one buyer/purchaser, depending on the context.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “apparatus” is to be construed as a set of technical components that are communicatively associated with each other, and function together as part of a mechanism to achieve a desired technical result.
An apparatus for autonomous precision farming and management is disclosed. The apparatus comprises at least one control unit (1) that is configured to monitor and control the operations of the apparatus, at least one crop sensing mechanism (2), at least one irrigation sensing mechanism, at least one nutrient sensing mechanism, and an application installable on a computing device (15).
The at least one control unit (1) is configured to be communicatively associated with a server (17). The server (17) is configured to comprise at least one analytical module and at least one extensive knowledge base to support the analytical module. The at least one analytical module is configured to analyse the current status of a crop and its environment, and suggest remedial action, if any, based on the information in the respective extensive knowledge base.
The current status of the crop and its environment, and the knowledge bases include, but are not limited to moisture content, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, fertilizer levels, pest infection, insect infection, damage by rodents, virus infection, disease infection, weed infection, genetic disorders, and irrigation status.
The at least one extensive knowledge base is configured to learn and improve itself based on the data received continuously from the other components of the apparatus.
The at least one crop sensing mechanism (2) comprises at least one crop sensing device (3) that is configured to detect at least one parameter in relation to a crop and transmit the detected at least one parameter to the at least one control unit (1). The at least one parameter includes, but is not limited to, soil temperature, soil moisture level, root temperature, root moisture level, soil pH, soil electrical conductivity, and the level of at least one nutrient in the soil.
The at least one crop sensing mechanism (2) may also include at least one image sensor that is configured to capture images of the crop at pre-defined intervals and transmit the captured images to the at least one control unit (1).
The at least one irrigation sensing mechanism comprises at least one irrigation sensing device (9) that is associated with at least one irrigation system. The at least one irrigation system comprises at least one pump (10) and at least one unit that supplies water from the pump to the crop.
While the irrigation is on, the at least one irrigation sensing mechanism continuously monitors the irrigation system, and, if any abnormalities are identified, it shuts down the respective irrigation system and sends an alert to the at least one control unit (1). The monitoring of the irrigation system includes, but is not limited to, voltages, leakages, and dry run.
The at least one irrigation sensing mechanism also comprises at least one rain sensing device that is configured to detect rainfall, said rain sensing device being associated with the at least one irrigation system. If rainfall is detected, the at least one irrigation sensing mechanism shuts down the respective irrigation system sends an alert to the at least one control unit (1).
If the at least one control unit (1) determines a need for irrigation:
it instructs the respective crop sensing mechanism(s) (2) to open at least one valve (4) and get ready for irrigation;
the respective crop sensing device(s) (3) turns on the at least one valve (4) and sends a status update back to the at least one control unit (1);
the at least one control unit (1) instructs the respective irrigation sensing mechanism(s) to start the respective pump(s) (10);
the respective irrigation sensing device(s) (9) turns on the pump(s) (10) if grid power if available and the quality of power is within a tolerance limit;
if a generator (16) is configured and grid power is unavailable, it is turned on until power is available;
the at least one control unit (1) determines that the respective crop sensing device(s) (3) and the respective irrigation sensing device(s) (9) are operating properly by constantly communicating with them real-time; and
in case of any failure, the at least one control unit (1) ensures safe turning off of the at least one valve (4), the respective pump(s) (10), and the generator (16).
When the at least one control unit (1) determines that the irrigation can be completed, it informs the respective crop sensing mechanism(s) and the respective irrigation sensing mechanism(s) to close the at least one valve (4) and shut the respective pump(s) (10), respectively..
As the irrigation is carried out to maintain the moisture of the root zone, over or under irrigation is avoided, thus ensuring proper water usage, which saves over 50% of water compared to irrigation without sensing the requirement.
The at least one nutrient sensing mechanism comprises at least one tank (7) with pump, with at least one nutrient sensing device (6) being associated with the tank (7). If the at least one analytical module determines that the supply of at least one nutrient to the crop is due as per schedule, or if there is any deficiency in the level of the at least nutrient based on its detection by the at least crop sensing mechanism, then, the at least one control unit (1) sends instructions to turn on the respective irrigation system, in addition to:
identifying the nutrients and calculating their respective quantities for that day, creating a batch, and estimating the total time requirement for the entire batch to be completed;
estimating the approximate time required for the roots to get the required moisture level based on the current moisture level;
identifying the respective nutrient sensing device (6) and the tank (7) responsible for the nutrients to be supplied;
estimating the right time to start fertilization in ensure that the completion time of the batch coincides with the time required to get the right moisture levels;
shutting off the nutrient supply after the dispensing of the required quantities, and transmitting the information to the at least one control unit (1); and
calculating a cooling period after the completion of the batch, said cooling period being a period of time for which no irrigation is to be performed, said cooling period being instructed to both the at least one crop sensing mechanism and the at least irrigation sensing mechanism.
A plurality of tanks facilitates the storing of fertilizer, pesticide, insecticide, rodenticide, virucide, weedicide, and the like. Though the above procedure has been illustrated with respect to fertilizer, the same may be carried out in respect of other parameters, including, but not limited to, soil pH, soil electrical conductivity, pest infection, insect infection, damage by rodents, virus infection, disease infection, and weed infection.
The at least one nutrient sensing mechanism continuously monitors the quantity of fertilizer in the at least one tank (7) and communicates the same to the at least one control unit (1). In case the quantity is determined to be inadequate for usage, the at least one control unit (1) transmits the information to the server (17), which, in turn, alerts a user with an estimated quantity of fertilizer that is required.
If the at least one control unit (1) determines a need for fertigation;
it carries out everything needed for irrigation, and, additionally checks for the nutrients that are due for supply to crops as per the PoP at the start of the irrigation cycle;
it ensures irrigation has successfully started, and waits for a predefined wait-time before starting to coordinate the supply of nutrients;
during the wait-time, the at least one control unit (1) gets the list of nutrients to be supplied to the crop now, identifies the respective nutrient sensing device(s) (6) responsible for the supply for the nutrients, and the respective tank(s) (7) from where the nutrient is to be opened up;
after completing the wait-time, the at least one control unit (1) takes one nutrient at a time, and, for each nutrient communicates with the right nutrient sensing device (6) to turn on a respective solenoid valve (8) of the tank (7) where the nutrient is stored, and also communicates the quantity to be dispensed to the respective nutrient sensing device (6);
the respective nutrient sensing device (6) turns on the solenoid valve (8) so that the nutrient from the tank (7) can be injected into the irrigation pipeline;
when the quantity of injected nutrient reaches the limit set, the respective nutrient sensing device (6) turns off the solenoid valve (8), thus stopping the supply of the nutrient; and
the at least one control unit (1) then checks if there is any other nutrient needed to be supplied, if so for each such nutrient, it repeats the above steps until all nutrient supply is successfully completed.
As the fertilizer injection is accurately measured, there will not be under or over fertilization, which results in the correct amount of fertigation, resulting in savings of 30% of fertilizers, in addition to ensuring no soil degradation.
Figure 2 illustrates a workflow of crop setup, cultivation, and farm input/output, in accordance with embodiment of the present disclosure.
The application installable on a computing device (15) is configured to geofence a farm (5), its individual plots, protected structures, irrigation systems, tanks, etc., based on data input by the user. Farm acreage, acreage of individual plots, and weather data are gathered based on the actual latitude and longitude of the farm. The application installable on a computing device (15) is also configured to control the apparatus remotely.
Details of crops planted and acreages, soil reports, and water reports are also provided by the user. The application installable on a computing device (15) is communicatively associated with the server (17).
The at least one analytical module calculates the nutrient requirement for a chosen crop and carries out a predictive analysis of potential yield and duration of yield based on the acreage, climatic conditions, and target etc.
Once a crop is activated, the at least one control unit (1) receives all the data related to the chosen crop from the server (17), and activates the at least one crop sensing mechanism.
If the at least one nutrient sensing mechanism determines that the quantity of fertilizer is inadequate for usage, the at least one control unit (1) transmits the information to the server (17), which, in turn, alerts the user through the application (15) with an estimated quantity of fertilizer that is required. The user has an option to auto replenish the fertilizer stock. In such cases, the application (15) keeps track of purchases and usages and builds a shopping cart automatically when the fertilizer stock goes below a pre-configured reorder level. Upon payment by the user, the stocks are delivered straight to the user.
If the user is a buyer/purchaser, the buyer provides his requirement details with regards to an agricultural produce through the application (15). Any farmer who has a suitable match to the requirement notifies the buyer, and the buyer has a subsequent option to purchase the produce of the farmer through the application (15).
If the cultivation of crops is performed in a controlled environment (12), such as in polyhouses or nethouses or greenhouses, the apparatus further comprises at least one climate control mechanism, said climate control mechanism comprising at least one climate sensing device (11) and at least one climate control equipment.
The at least one climate control mechanism is configured to detect at least one parameter, including, but not limited to, temperature and humidity, and transmits the detected information to the at least one control unit (1). Based on instructions from the at least one control unit (1), the at least one climate control mechanism switches on or switches off the at least one climate control equipment for a pre-defined period of time. The at least one climate control equipment includes, but is not limited to fogger, humidifier, lighting system, etc.
If the at least one control unit (1) determines a need for climate control:
it identifies the respective climate sensing device(s) (11);
it calculates the temperature and humidity requirements, and instructs the respective climate control device(s) (11) to turn on the at least one climate control equipment;
the respective climate control device(s) (11) turns on the at least one climate control equipment and sends status back to the at least one control unit (1);
the respective climate control device(s) (11) constantly checks for the change in temperature and relative humidity, and constantly communicates to the at least one control unit (1), which determines the right time to stop the at least one climate control equipment based on various parameters, such as maximum time an equipment can be left on with no harm to the crop, the current temperature drop, humidity rise, etc.; and
once the at least one control unit (1) identifies the cut-off time, it causes the turning off of the at least one climate control equipment..
During climate control operation, the at least one control unit (1) coordinates with the respective irrigation sensing device(s) (9) for turning on/off the pump(s) (10) as described above.
For pest and disease identification, images of the crop captured through the at least one image sensor and transmitted to the server (17) to identify if there are any pests, disease, or nutrition deficiency in the crops. Alternately, the user may also capture images through a camera on the computing device, which is transmitted to the server (17) for analysis, with the result being displayed through an interface of the computing device.
If abnormalities are detected, the apparatus instantly searches for all available remedies, and identifies a product that is available in the market, in the neighbourhood of the farm, and notifies the user about the identification of the issue, solution, and the product to be procured.
The user can do one of the following:
buy the recommended product from the market, and follow the recommendation given through application (15) to proceed with remedial action;
forward the recommendation to an Expert through the application (15) for a secondary verification. If the expert has a different recommendation, then the same is updated to the user, which the user can buy and proceed with the remedy;
the user, in both the above cases, has an option to place an order right where the remedy was recommended in order to highly optimize the timing, so that remedy can be carried out at timely manner.
For farm stock management,
the server (17) has the ability to intelligently calculate the nutrients required for the farm for the next few days, weeks, or months as chosen by the user; and
the server (17) also has the ability to calculate the minimum stock requirement for the farm and inform the user through the application (15) or place an order on behalf of the user automatically (13) and auto replenish so that the farm never runs out of farm inputs.
For farm harvest management,
The apparatus predicts the probable upcoming harvest for each crop and automatically connects the upcoming harvest with at least one potential buyer (14). The farmer can then negotiate for his upcoming harvests for better price realization;
users have a choice to record harvest of each crop, and each harvest gets a unique code; and
a QR code is generated for the unique code, and the user can share the QR code with the at least one buyer for an end-to-end traceability of the harvest.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the server (17) is the cloud.
The computing device includes, but is not limited to, desktop computer, laptop computer, mobile phone, smart phone, tablet, phablet, and wearable gadgets.
The data generated are fed into AI (Artificial Intelligence) models for learning
Irrigation and Fertigation model: Soil Moisture, Soil Temperature, Ambient Humidity, Ambient Temperature, along with irrigation and fertigation cycles, pests incidents, actual weather data, and related harvests are fed into an Irrigation and Fertigation model, which continuously learns the correlation between all parameters. The model predicts and maintains the soil moisture and fertigation levels on its own based on the past learning, leading to the lowest pest and disease incidents, along with the highest yields.
Crop Management Model: Data from identification of pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiency, their remedy, actual weather pattern, irrigation and fertigation cycles, and their effect on harvests are fed to a Crop Management Model. The model predicts and issues advanced warning to users about the potential upcoming threats that would help in timely addressing of any possible threats.
Farm Inputs Model: The irrigation, fertigation cycles, actual weather data and their correlation to harvests are fed into a Farm Inputs Model, which has the ability to study the correlation over time and keep adjusting the Package of Practice (PoP) from time to time. The PoP, therefore, for any crop, can become a real-time calculation as against a pre-calculated parameters.
Climate Control Model: The weather pattern and their effects on pests, diseases and deficiencies, and harvests are fed into a Climate Control Model. The model predicts the right level of climatic parameters to be maintained for both open and protected cultivation.
The disclosed apparatus offers the following advantages:
Precise usage of water: Approximately 50-60% reduction in water usage;
Precise usage of farm inputs: Approximately 20-35% increase in productivity;
Leaves the least possible residues of farm inputs in the soil, which ensures the farms are maintained fertile for longer period;
Optimized stock maintenance;
Purchaser and supplier predictability: Purchasers are able to know well in advance the possible farm produces, and, similarly, suppliers/farmers are able to plan their production; and
Service provider optimization– Service providers are able to understand the service needs of all farms in their neighbourhood and optimally utilize their resources.
It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. Various modifications, additions, alterations and improvements without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure may be made by a person skilled in the art. Such modifications, additions, alterations and improvements should be construed as being within the scope of this disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
1 – At Least One Control Unit
2 – At Least One Crop Sensing Mechanism
3 – At Least One Crop Sensing Device
4 – At Least One Valve
5 – Farms / Farm Land
6 – At Least One Nutrient Sensing Device
7 – At Least One Tank
8 – Solenoid Valve
9 – At Least One Irrigation Sensing Device
10 – At Least One Pump
11 – At Least One Climate Sensing Device
12 – Controlled Environment
13 – Placing an Order Automatically (Marketplace)
14 – At Least One Buyer
15 – Application Installable on a Computing Device
16 – Generator
17 – Server