DESC:TITLE OF THE INVENTION: AN INTELLIGENT ADVISORY SYSTEM FOR FARMERS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is generally related to an advisory system for farmers. Particularly, it is related to an intelligent advisory system for farmers based on real-time data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, agronomy services are provided by experts who visit the farms and gather information. In most cases, water and soil are tested in laboratories for electrical conductivity, pH, nutrition content, etc., and the reports are analysed by the experts. However, this process is expensive and time-consuming. Further, the farm data analysed may not be valid by the time the report is produced in the laboratory.
Also, the critical parameters like CO2 density, peak temperature, sunlight intensity, soil humidity, etc. are assumed as these parameters cannot be measured in laboratories. However, these parameters are vital for crop management. Therefore, any advice that is based on assumed values for these parameters may be inaccurate.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for an intelligent advisory system for farmers, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and shortcomings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 illustrates an intelligent advisory system for farmers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2 illustrates a real-time example of an intelligent advisory system for farmers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An intelligent advisory system for farmers based on real-time data is disclosed. Said system comprises a plurality of sensors that is installed on a farm land; a control and processing unit that comprises a real-time clock to maintain the current date and time, with said control and processing unit facilitating: the collecting of one or more data transmitted by the plurality of sensors, the storing of the collected data in a storage unit, along with the date and time of receipt and the GPS co-ordinates, the sending of the collected data to a server, along with the date and time of receipt and the GPS co-ordinates, the connecting of a user directly with the system, and the controlling of a plurality of parameters based on respective threshold parameter ranges provided by the user, said controlling of the plurality of parameters being achieved by the controlling of one or more devices through an automation controller until the values of the one or more parameters fall back within the corresponding threshold ranges provided by the user; a first module that facilitates the interaction of the user with the system; and a second module that facilitates the interaction of one or more experts with the system. The history of all the communications between the user and the one or more experts is maintained by the system to facilitate the user to get consistent agronomy advice, even in case of change of expert.
The system may also comprise an artificial intelligence based expert advisory module that facilitates the system to provide expert advice to the farmers on its own.
The one or more sensors in the plurality of sensors are grouped together as a cluster and each cluster communicates with the control and processing unit through a sensor node.
The system may comprise more than one control and processing unit, with each control and processing unit being assigned with a unique identification number. In this scenario, each control and processing unit is installed in different regions of a farm and each control and processing unit is either operated independently or is connected with each other to form a network. In network mode installation, one of the installed control and processing units serves as a master and the remaining control and processing units serve as slaves, and the user monitors the status of each control and processing unit centrally from one location and administrates through the first module.
Further, the user can get the status of all the regions without physically visiting the regions, in addition to being able to configure the parameters for each region from one remote place. The user also gets expert advice and can diversify his/her crops over a range of herbs, vegetables, flowers, etc., without having to waste time and money on finding the right nutrition and growth conditions based on trial and error.

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 word “expert” or “experts” include, but not limited to, agronomists, scientists in the field of agriculture, researcher in the field of agriculture, and persons with in-depth knowledge in the field of agriculture.
An intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) is disclosed. As shown in Figure 1, the intelligent advisory system (100) for farmers based on real-time data comprises a plurality of sensors (101) that is installed on a farm land; a control and processing unit (102) that facilitates: the collecting of one or more data transmitted by the plurality of sensors (101), the storing of the collected data in a storage unit (not shown), along with the date and time of receipt and the GPS co-ordinates, the sending of the collected data to a server (103), along with the date and time of receipt and the GPS co-ordinates, the connecting of a user directly with the system (100), and the controlling of a plurality of parameters based on respective threshold parameters provided by the user; a first module (104) that facilitates the interaction of the user with the system (100); and a second module (105) that facilitates the interaction of one or more experts with the system (100).
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the system (100) comprises an artificial intelligence based expert advisory module that facilitates the system (100) to provide expert advice to the farmers on its own.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of sensors (101) includes, but is not limited to, humidity sensors, light intensity sensors, CO2 sensors, water temperature sensors, pH sensors, electrical conductivity (EC) sensors, root zone temperature sensors, image sensors, and GPS sensors.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of parameters includes, but is not limited to, humidity, light intensity, CO2 density, water temperature, pH of water, electrical conductivity of water, and root zone temperature.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the user sets the threshold parameters, which include, but are not limited to, temperature range, humidity range, EC range,, and pH range, through the first module (104), or directly through the control and processing unit (102), or through the first module (104) and the server (103).
If one or more of the sensed parameters do not fall within the threshold values, the control and processing unit (102) initiates appropriate action by controlling one or more devices, which include, but are not limited to heaters, coolers, chillers, fan and pad systems, irrigation pumps, fertigation pumps, and grow LEDs (light emitting diode), until the values of the one or more parameters fall back within the corresponding threshold ranges provided by the user. The control and processing unit (102) performs the controlling of one or more devices through an automation controller.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the control and processing unit (102) comprises a real-time clock to maintain the current date and time.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more sensors in the plurality of sensors (101) are grouped together as a cluster and the system (100) may have one or more such clusters. Each cluster will communicate with the control and processing unit (102) through a sensor node.
The system (100) facilitates the user to communicate with the one or more experts who are registered with the system (100). The user sends to the one or more experts either the real-time data received from the plurality of sensors (101) or the data stored in the server (103). The experts subsequently analyse the data, prepare and send their response to the user through the second module (105). The system (100) also facilitates the user to send images and videos of crops, farms, etc. to the one or more experts.
The history of all the communications between the user and the experts is maintained by the system (100). Thus, the user continues to get reliable agronomy advice, even in case of change of expert. The expert advice is based on the real-time data. Therefore, there is no need for the experts to visit the user’s farm for getting data, thus saving the user’s time and money.
The user may get expert advice from experts across the globe, thus enabling the user to grow even non-native crops.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the control and processing unit (102) supports various communication technologies, which include, but are not limited to, wireless communication, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Zigbee, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first module (104) is an application installable on devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, smart devices, and wearable devices.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first module (104) is a web application accessible from devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, smart devices, and wearable devices.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second module (105) is an application installable on devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, smart devices, and wearable devices.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second module (105) is a web application accessible from devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, smart devices, and wearable devices.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the system (100) works on a networked environment. The network may be the Internet, a virtual private network, a local area network, a wide area network, a broadband digital network, or any other appropriate structure for enabling communication between two or more nodes or locations. The network may include a shared, public, or private data network. Further, the network may encompass a wide area or local area, and may include one or more wired and/or wireless connections.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the system (100) comprises more than one control and processing unit (102). Each control and processing unit (102) may be installed in different regions of a farm and each control and processing unit (102) can either be operated independently or be connected with each other to form a network. In network mode installation, one of the installed control and processing unit (102) servers as a master and the remaining control and processing units serve as slaves. All slave control and processing units get the scheduling and user configurations from the master. The user can monitor the status of each control and processing unit (102) centrally from one location and/or administrate through the first module (104).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the system (100) may have more than one control and processing unit (102) network.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, each control and processing unit (102) may be assigned with a unique identification number. Only the authorized users of the system (100) may have the rights to monitor and/or administrate the control and processing unit (102).
Following are the advantages of installing a network of control and processing units (102) in the system (100). The user can grow multiple crops in zone-wise basis and set crop-based control parameters for each zone. Further, the user can get the status of all the zones from the master without physically visiting the zones, in addition to being able to configure the parameters for each zone from one remote place. The user also gets expert advice and can diversify his/her crops over a range of herbs, vegetables, flowers, etc., without having to waste time and money on finding the right nutrition and growth conditions based on trial and error.
The working of the system (100) can now be explained with the help of the below example.
As illustrated in Figure 2, there are two sensor clusters, with: the first sensor cluster may have sensors, such as, temperature sensor, electrical conductivity (EC) sensor, and pH sensor, to monitor the water parameters, and the second sensor cluster may have sensors, such as, soil moisture sensor, soil pH sensor, and soil CO2 sensor, to monitor the soil parameters. The first sensor cluster and the second sensor cluster will communicate with the control and processing unit (102) through a first sensor node and a second sensor node, respectively. The system (100) allows the user to set the threshold soil and water parameters. Each sensor in both the sensor clusters will continuously monitors the soil and the water, and sends the sensed parameters to the control and processing unit (102) through their respective sensor node. The parameters received from each sensor will be stored, with date time stamp and GPS co-ordinates, in the local storage and/or in the server (the cloud).
In any point of time, if any of the sensed parameter go beyond or below the threshold parameter set by the user, the control and processing unit (102) initiates appropriate action by controlling one or more devices through the automation controller. For example, if the soil moisture goes below the threshold value, then the control and processing unit (102) sends intimation to the automation controller to start and keep the irrigation pump turned on until the threshold limit is reached. The user shares the sensed parameters along with the historical data and crop profile to the desired expert in real-time for his/her opinion. The expert reviews the sensed data along with the crop profile and user location, and shares his advice accordingly.
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:

100 – An Intelligent Advisory System for Farmers
101 – Plurality of Sensors
102 – Control and Processing Unit
103 – Server
104 – First Module
105 – Second Module ,CLAIMS:1. An intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data, said system (100) comprising:
a plurality of sensors (101) that is installed on a farm land, with one or more sensors in the plurality of sensors (101) being grouped together as a cluster, and with each cluster in the plurality of sensors (101) communicating with a control and processing unit (102) through a sensor node;
the control and processing unit (102) that comprises a real-time clock to maintain the current date and time, with said control and processing unit (102) facilitating: the collecting of one or more data transmitted by the plurality of sensors (101), the storing of the collected data in a storage unit, along with the date and time of receipt and the GPS co-ordinates, the sending of the collected data to a server (103), along with the date and time of receipt and the GPS co-ordinates, the connecting of a user directly with the system (100), and the controlling of a plurality of parameters based on respective threshold parameter ranges provided by the user, said controlling of the plurality of parameters being achieved by the controlling of one or more devices through an automation controller until the values of the one or more parameters fall back within the corresponding threshold ranges provided by the user;
a first module (104) that facilitates the interaction of the user with the system (100); and
a second module (105) that facilitates the interaction of one or more experts with the system (100), with the history of all the communications between the user and the one or more experts being maintained by the system (100) to facilitate the user to get consistent agronomy advice, even in case of change of expert.

2. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system (100) comprises an artificial intelligence based expert advisory module that facilitates the system (100) to provide expert advice to the farmers on its own.

3. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors (101) includes humidity sensors, light intensity sensors, CO2 sensors, water temperature sensors, pH sensors, electrical conductivity sensors, root zone temperature sensors, image sensors, and GPS sensors.

4. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters includes humidity, light intensity, CO2 density, water temperature, pH of water, electrical conductivity of water, and root zone temperature.

5. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the threshold parameter ranges include temperature range, humidity range, EC range, and pH range.

6. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user sets the threshold parameter ranges through the first module (104), directly through the control and processing unit (102), or through the first module (104) and the server (103).

7. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the devices controlled by the control and processing unit (102) include heaters, coolers, chillers, fan and pad systems, irrigation pumps, fertigation pumps, and grow Light Emitting Diodes.

8. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication technologies supported by the control and processing unit (102) include wireless communication, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Zigbee, and Bluetooth Low Energy.

9. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first module (104) is an application installable on desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, smart devices, and wearable devices.

10. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second module (105) is an application installable on desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, smart devices, and wearable devices.

11. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system (100) comprises more than one control and processing unit (102), with each control and processing unit (102) being installed in different regions of a farm, and each control and processing unit (102) being either operated independently or being connected with one other to form a network.

12. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of the installed control and processing units (102) servers as a master and the remaining control and processing units serve as slaves in network mode installation, with the user monitoring the status of each control and processing unit (102) centrally from one location and administrating through the first module (104).

13. The intelligent advisory system for farmers (100) based on real-time data as claimed in claim 11, wherein each control and processing unit (102) is assigned with a unique identification number.