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Design, Implementation and Simulation of a Fringing Field Capacitive Humidity Sensor
Adrian-Razvan Petre1, Razvan Craciunescu1, Octavian Fratu1
1Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 București, Romania.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 7, 2020
Summary
This study presents a low-cost, PCB-made interdigitated capacitive soil humidity sensor for precision agriculture. The developed Humidity and Temperature Measurement Wireless Equipment (HTMWE) leverages Internet of Things (IoT) technology for optimized crop management.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Engineering
- Sensor Technology
- Internet of Things (IoT)
Background:
- Growing global population necessitates sustainable agriculture.
- Internet of Things (IoT) technologies offer solutions for agricultural optimization.
- Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are emerging in the agri-food sector.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate a low-cost, PCB-made interdigitated capacitive (IDC) soil humidity sensor.
- Evaluate sensor design variations for improved performance.
- Develop an IoT-based system for agricultural monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study of 30 interdigitated capacitive (IDC) sensor design variations.
- Manufacturing and experimental investigation of selected sensor designs.
- Simulations to analyze the impact of aspect ratio and dielectric thickness.
Main Results:
- Identified optimal design parameters for sensitivity and capacitance.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of PCB-based IDC sensors as a cost-effective alternative.
- Successfully implemented a Humidity and Temperature Measurement Wireless Equipment (HTMWE).
Conclusions:
- PCB-made IDC sensors offer a viable, low-cost solution for soil moisture monitoring.
- The developed HTMWE system is suitable for IoT-enabled precision agriculture.
- Further optimization of sensor design can enhance agricultural efficiency and sustainability.
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