engleski

Sensitivity Profile of Compact Inductive Sensor for Apparent Electrical Conductivity of Topsoil

In this paper, we investigate the applicability of a compact inductive sensor for apparent electrical conductivity of soil, featuring zero inter-coil spacing and aiming at exploration depths of up to 20 cm, e.g. for topsoil zone sensing. Assuming a low induction number regime, we introduce an approximate linear soil model based on a single conductive layer of finite thickness. Our simulations show that up to a depth roughly corresponding to an outer sensor coil diameter, the proposed compact sensor yields better sensitivity than the classical soil sensor with spaced coils of similar size. We experimentally validate the findings from our model on a compact sensor prototype using a saline water container to simulate the response of topsoil. Obtained results show a linear relationship of quadrature response component with respect to the electrical conductivity of water, featuring a resolution of cca. 4 mS/m, and a good agreement between the sensitivity profiles obtained from measurements and the model.

apparent electrical conductivity ; inductive sensor ; precision agriculture ; sensor modeling

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