Claims:
1. A system for operating a water dispensing device, the system comprising:
one or more sensors coupled with one or more leads inserted in a soil, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to sense one or more parameters of the soil;
one or more processors coupled with a memory, the memory comprising a set of instructions embodied in the memory that is executed by the one or more processors to:
receive the sensed one or more soil parameters from the one or more sensors; and
operate the water dispensing device based on receipt of a signal; and
a control unit operatively coupled to the one or more processors is configured to generate the signal.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more sensed soil parameters are selected from any or a combination of a soil temperature, a soil moisture and an electrical conductivity of the soil.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the signal based on comparison of the sensed one or more soil parameters with a corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters, wherein the water dispensing device is operated when any or a combination of the sensed one or more parameters deviates from any or a combination of the corresponding predetermined one or more soil parameters.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein, when the sensed soil moisture parameter drops below the corresponding pre-determined soil moisture parameter, the water dispensing device is operated to increase flow of water from the water dispensing device into the soil.
5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein, when the sensed soil temperature parameter exceeds the corresponding pre-determined soil temperature parameter, the water dispensing device is operated to increase flow of water from the water dispensing device into the soil.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is a mobile device operable to generate the signal manually using a mobile application interface.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more sensors is coupled with one or more solar cells to make the one or more sensors self-powered.
8. A method for operating a water dispensing device, the method comprising the steps of:
sensing, from one or more sensors inserted in a soil, one or more soil parameters;
receiving, by one or more processors, the sensed one or more soil parameters from the one or more sensors; and
operating, by the one or more processors, the water dispensing device based on receipt of a signal generated.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of generating the signal based on comparison of the sensed one or more soil parameters with a corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters, wherein the water dispensing device is operated when any or a combination of the one or more sensed parameters deviates from any or a combination of the corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more sensed soil parameters are selected from any or a combination of a soil temperature, a soil moisture and an electrical conductivity of the soil.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[1] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless sensor networks. In particular, the present disclosure relates to detection of soil parameters using sensors for controlling flow of water from a water source into the soil.

BACKGROUND
[2] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[3] Typically, majority of population in many developing countries have agriculture and farming as their primary occupation and their primary source of income. As population grows day-by-day, farmers need to work harder to improve yield. Due to scarcity in availability of important resources like water, farmers are required to additionally conserve water and use it optimally. However, due to general lacking in awareness and knowledge, adequate and optimal utilisation of water is lacking.
[4] Typically, a user or a farmer provides water to agricultural farms manually. Due to the negligence of the user, some water is wasted while providing water to the soil of agricultural farm and some minerals present in the soil are lost. Sometimes, users do not know about soil parameters like moisture content present in the soil, temperature of the soil, electrical conductivity of the soil and water present in the soil, ratio of soil, crop and water, quality of soil etc. They are also not aware of the water requirement in soil for improving soil quality and crop productivity. The sensors used for detecting soil parameters also require large amount of power and voltages to send sensed information or data to users. Further, there is a limited access to operate, modify and collect data from the sensors present in an area.
[5] United States Patent document US5260667 describes a method for determining water content present in an oil-in-water emulsion with the help of a plurality of sensors. The sensors measure admittance of the emulsion and produces signal representation of the water content present in the emulsion. This prior art is related to determination of water content of the emulsion and does not take care of the implementation of wireless sensor devices to control water flow from the water source and to measure moisture content in the soil.
[6] United States Patent document US5686841 discloses a roadway sensor for surface installation and a thin ceramic contact sensor is used to measure antenna parameters of a space above a roadway or bridge surface. However, this prior art does not disclose implementation of wireless sensor devices to measure moisture content in the soil.
[7] United States Patent document US5124552 describes a method of sensing moisture on a web based on a web moisture sensor that transmits and receives infrared signal. This prior art does not take care of the deployment of wireless portable sensor devices to measure soil parameters of the soil and to control water flow into the soil.
[8] United States Patent document US4840706 describes an infrared scanning gauge to measure moisture content of a paper web by implementing measurement channel and a reference channel. This prior art does not take care of the placement of wireless self-powered man-made sensing devices to measure moisture content of the soil, temperature of the soil, electrical conductivity of the soil etc.
[9] United States Patent document US3626286 describes a meter to measure moisture present in the soil by placing two probes into the soil with soil in-between the probes, wherein the probes are made of insulted plates of metal or flat insulated cable made of one or more conductors. The output moisture content of the soil is helpful in controlling irrigation valves. This prior art is related to capacitive based moisture sensing by using ultrasonic oscillator but does not take care of cost-effective implementation of wireless portable man-made sensors to measure moisture in the soil and to provide adaptive control of water flow.
[10] There is, therefore, a need in the art, for a system and a method for measuring moisture in the soil and for operating a water dispensing device.
[11] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
[12] In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or dimensions of items, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[13] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[14] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
[15] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.

OBJECTS
[16] A general object of the present disclosure is to provide a simple system to control flow of water into soil.
[17] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system to control water flow dynamically from water dispensing device into a soil based on soil parameters without any manual intervention.
[18] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for controlling flow of water into soil in a cost-effective manner.
[19] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an easy method for detecting moisture in an agricultural soil in real time.
[20] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method to suggest a user to operate a water dispensing device remotely.

SUMMARY
[21] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless sensor networks. In particular, the present disclosure relates to detection of soil parameters for controlling flow of water from a water dispensing device into soil.
[22] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for operating a water dispensing device, the system comprising: one or more sensors coupled with one or more leads inserted in a soil, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to sense one or more parameters of the soil; one or more processors coupled with a memory, the memory comprising a set of instructions embodied in the memory that is executed by the one or more processors to: receive the sensed one or more soil parameters from the one or more sensors; operate the water dispensing device based on receipt of a signal; and a control unit operatively coupled to the one or more processors is configured to generate the signal.
[23] In an embodiment, the one or more sensed soil parameters are selected from any or a combination of a soil temperature, soil moisture and electrical conductivity of the soil.
[24] In another embodiment, the control unit is configured to generate the signal based on comparison of the sensed one or more soil parameters with corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters, wherein the water dispensing device is operated when any or a combination of the sensed one or more parameters deviates from any or a combination of the corresponding pre-determined one or more parameters.
[25] In another embodiment, each of the one or more sensors is mounted with one or more solar cells on exposed parts. The each of the one or more sensors becomes self-powered and becomes cost effective to implement by receiving renewable energy from sunlight using solar cells.
[26] In another exemplary embodiment, when the sensed soil moisture drops below the corresponding pre-determined soil moisture, the water dispensing device is operated to increase flow of water from the water dispensing device into the soil.
[27] In another exemplary embodiment, when the sensed soil temperature exceeds the corresponding pre-determined soil temperature, the water dispensing device is operated to increase flow of water from the water dispensing device into the soil.
[28] In another embodiment, the control unit can be a mobile device operable to generate the signal manually using a mobile application interface.
[29] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for operating a water dispensing device, the method comprising the steps of: sensing, from one or more sensors inserted in a soil, one or more soil parameters; receiving, by one or more processors, the sensed one or more soil parameters from the one or more sensors; and operating, by the one or more processors, the water dispensing device based on receipt of a signal generated.
[30] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of generating the signal based on comparison of the sensed one or more soil parameters with a corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters, wherein the water dispensing device is operated when any or a combination of the one or more sensed parameters deviates from any or a combination of the corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters.
[31] In another embodiment, the method can further include the step of generating the signal manually to operate the water dispensing device using a mobile application interface.
[32] In another embodiment, the one or more sensed soil parameters are selected from any or a combination of a soil temperature, soil moisture and an electrical conductivity of the soil.
[33] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[34] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
[35] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for operating a water dispensing device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[36] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for operating a water dispensing device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[37] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless portable self-powered sensor module, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[38] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method for monitoring and sensing soil parameters, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[39] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[40] If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[41] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[42] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. These exemplary embodiments are provided only for illustrative purposes and so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. The invention disclosed may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Various modifications will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure). Also, the terminology and phraseology used is for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments and should not be considered limiting. Thus, the present invention is to be accorded the widest scope encompassing numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents consistent with the principles and features disclosed. For purpose of clarity, details relating to technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
[43] The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non – claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
[44] In an aspect, wireless sensor devices are placed in soil to detect moisture present in the soil and to control flow of water from a water source. As the sensors move in and out of range, the wireless transmission link established between the sensors and data servers varies frequently causing intermittent link failures, resulting in a potential breakdown of dynamic characteristics of the wireless network.
[45] Embodiments described herein relate to the field of wireless sensor networks, and in particular to detection of soil parameters by using sensors in order to control flow of water from a water dispensing device into soil.
[46] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a means to detect soil parameters like moisture, temperature, electrical conductivity of the soil etc. accurately to control water flow from the water dispensing device. The wireless sensor network can include a number of sensors connected via multiple wireless communication links over multi-hop paths. The present disclosure relates to the transfer of information collected from the nodes in wireless sensor network to cloud servers and further, to provide an option for a user to control the flow of water into the soil remotely.
[47] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for operating a water dispensing device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Said system 100 comprises: one or more sensors 104 coupled with one or more leads inserted in a soil, wherein the one or more sensors 104 are configured to sense one or more parameters of the soil; one or more processors 102 coupled with a memory 106, the memory 106 comprising a set of instructions embodied in the memory 106 that is executed by the one or more processors 102 to communicate with: a receiving unit 108 to receive the sensed one or more soil parameters from the one or more sensors 104; an operating unit 110 to operate the water dispensing device based on receipt of a signal; and a control unit 112 operatively coupled to the one or more processors 102 and the control unit 112 is configured to generate the signal.
[48] In an exemplary embodiment, the water dispensing device can be a water pump, or any other appliance commonly known in the art.
[49] In an embodiment, the one or more sensed soil parameters are selected from any or a combination of a soil temperature, soil moisture and an electrical conductivity of the soil.
[50] In an embodiment, the control unit 112 can be configured to generate the signal based on comparison of the sensed one or more soil parameters with corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters, wherein the water dispensing device is operated when any or a combination of the sensed one or more parameters deviates from any or a combination of the corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters.
[51] In another embodiment, each sensor selected from the one or more sensors 104 can be made with a different composition of POP, soil, timber etc. The composition normally depends on the type of soil the sensor will be used in.
[52] In another exemplary embodiment, when the sensed soil moisture parameter drops below the corresponding pre-determined soil moisture parameter, the water dispensing device can be operated to increase flow of water from the water dispensing device into the soil.
[53] In another exemplary embodiment, when the sensed soil temperature parameter exceeds the corresponding pre-determined soil temperature parameter, the water dispensing device can be operated to increase flow of water from the water dispensing device into the soil.
[54] In another embodiment, the control unit 112 is a mobile device operable to generate the signal manually using a mobile application interface.
[55] In another embodiment, each of the one or more sensors 104 can be mounted with one or more solar cells to make the one or more sensors 104 self-powered and makes the one or more sensors reliable with less dependency on commercial energy.
[56] In an exemplary embodiment, the system does not require additional storage space and data can be accessible from anywhere anytime to multiple users. The system can also be compatible to interface directly to drive the water dispensing device.
[57] Memory 106 can be volatile, non-volatile memory or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. The one or more processors 102 can be microcontrollers, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), controllers, or any other components commonly known in the art.
[58] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for operating a water dispensing device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Said method 200 can include at step 202, sensing, from one or more sensors inserted in a soil, one or more soil parameters; at step 204, receiving, by one or more processors, the sensed one or more soil parameters from the one or more sensors; and at step 206, operating, by the one or more processors, the water dispensing device based on receipt of a control signal generated.
[59] In an embodiment, the method can further comprise the step of generating the control signal based on comparison of the sensed one or more soil parameters with a corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters, wherein the water dispensing device is operated when any or a combination of the one or more sensed parameters deviates from any or a combination of the corresponding pre-determined one or more soil parameters.
[60] In another embodiment, the method 200 can further comprise the step of generating the control signal manually to operate the water dispensing device using a mobile application interface.
[61] In another embodiment, the one or more sensed soil parameters are selected from any or a combination of a soil temperature, soil moisture and an electrical conductivity of the soil.
[62] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless portable self-powered sensor module, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the sensor module 300 include one or more sensors, wherein each sensor can be made with a different composition of POP, soil, timber etc. The composition normally depends on the type of soil the sensor will be used in.
[63] In an exemplary embodiment, a portable sensor 302 present in the sensor module 300 includes three leads to analyse temperature, moisture and electrical conductivity of the soil by inserting leads in the soil. The sensor module includes a solar cell 304 mounted on exposed part of the sensor 302 to make the sensor 302 self-powered with energy and to reduce costs of providing additional power. The solar cell 304 provides power to a signal conditioner 306, a microcontroller 308, and a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module 310 through a battery 312.
[64] In another embodiment, the sensor 302 is connected to the signal conditioner 306 and the signal conditioner 306 is operatively connected to the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module 310 via the microcontroller 308. The sensor 302 detects parameters of the soil and sends the detected parameters data in an electrical or digital format to the microcontroller 308 through the signal conditioner 306. The sensor module 300 is connected to a cloud-based server 314 to store the data and to share the data to be displayed to remote users via mobile devices 3161 to 316N, where 'N' is a finite number to represent total number of mobile devices.
[65] In another embodiment, the microcontroller 308 sends data to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module 310. The Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module 310 comprises wired or wireless transceivers to communicate and to provide transfer of data with external networks such as cloud servers, remote mobile devices etc.
[66] In another embodiment, any mobile device selected from mobile devices 3161 to 316N includes a mobile application with a display interface to provide all the soil parameters in a readable format to the remote user such as a farmer. The mobile device establishes a communication link with the cloud server 314 to receive the data stored in the cloud server 314. This provides an easy access to multiple remote users by taking data from the cloud server 314 whenever required. The remote user can control the flow of water provided to the soil of a land with the help of data received by the mobile device.
[67] In another embodiment, each of the one or more transceivers can be configured with a wired/wireless technology to establish a communication link with the one or more data servers and/or with one or more mobile devices. The communication link provides a transfer of information among one or more processors, one or more data servers, one or more mobile devices etc. The wireless technology can be selected from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, global system for mobile communications (GSM) technology, 3G communication, 4G communication, 5G communication, satellite communication, radar communication, microwave communication etc. technologies. The wired technology can include telephone networks, cable television or internet access, fibre-optic communication, etc.
[68] In another embodiment, the signal-conditioner 306 can include one or more amplifiers, analogue-to-digital converters, filters and digital-to-analogue converters etc. components. In another embodiment, the system can be implemented in agricultural fields, farms, playgrounds, flower nurseries, gardens, green houses etc. to improve soil quality and to prevent wastage of water.
[69] Each of the mobile devices 3161 to 316N can be selected from smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), palmtops, personal computers (PC), PC laptops, mobile phone etc. devices commonly known in the art.
[70] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method for monitoring and sensing soil parameters, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 can include at step 402, providing power supply to the sensors by attaching solar cells to the sensors and storing the power generated by solar cells in a battery; at step 403, checking whether the sufficient power is generated to turn on the sensors; at step 404, integrating sensor leads L1, L2 and L3with each sensor; at step 405, initialising soil parameters monitoring unit along with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module; at step 406, configuring Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module to connect with a cloud server; at step 407, providing threshold settings for the soil parameters; and at step 408, adjusting the sensor leads L1, L2 and L3 to measure soil temperature, moisture and electrical conductivity of the soil.
[71] In an embodiment, at step 409, checking whether the user wants to inject the sensor into the soil to monitor soil parameters for farming purpose; at step 410, logging or storing soil parameters in a permanent memory; and at step 411, controlling flow of water from an appliance based on soil parameters.
[72] In another embodiment, at step 412, checking whether the user wants to get soil parameters from the soil monitoring unit through the cloud server, wherein the user can be authorized/authenticated with the help of a data logger, mobile application etc.; at step 413, selecting soil monitoring unit's host identity to send data to users with authenticated internet protocol (IP) addresses via cloud; and at step 414, receiving live streamed soil parameters to one or more users.
[73] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive patient matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “includes” and “including” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C ….and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practised with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
[74] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES
[75] The present disclosure provides a simple system to control flow of water into soil.
[76] The present disclosure to provide a system to control water flow dynamically from water dispensing device into soil based on soil parameters without any manual intervention.
[77] The present disclosure provides a method for controlling flow of water into soil in a cost-effective manner.
[78] The present disclosure provides an easy method for detecting moisture in an agricultural soil in real time.
[79] The present disclosure provides a method to suggest a user to operate a water dispensing device remotely.