Farmer Friendly Solar Based Fencer and Automatic Sprinkler

Ms. Shrutee Bepari

Introduction

Ms. Shrutee Bepari, is a student of Master of Arts (Political Science) of IGNOU. She has made a solar tracking system for utilizing the solar power collected by the solar panel to charge a battery and drive an electric fence along with an automated sprinkler system. This electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary.

The Need of the Innovation

There is a problem of grazing of crops by stray animals in fields and farmhouses. Also there is increased shortage of ground water for irrigation in several areas of the country. As an innovative solution to these problems, it was felt to make a prototype for using the available solar energy by storing in a battery and connecting it to the electric fence and water pump for automatically sprinkling the water in the fields. The electric fences can be used to protect farmhouse from animals by giving them a short sharp but safe shock that teaches them to stay away from the fence. Thus electric fence is safe, as output is discrete. In addition to this, she designed a prototype of an automated sprinkler system which will automatically sprinkle the water required by the farm twice a day and thus reduces the manual work and providing sufficient amount of water requirement irrespective of season.

The Innovation

In this innovative system, she made a solar tracking system and have utilized the solar power collected by the solar panel to charge a battery and drive an electric fence along with an automated sprinkler system. An electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. Most electric fences are used today for agricultural fencing and other forms of animal control, although it is frequently used to enhance the security of sensitive areas, such as military installations, prisons, and other security sensitive places; places exist where lethal voltages are used.

An automated sprinkler system which automatically sprinkles the water required by the farm twice a day and thus reduces the manual work and provides sufficient amount of water requirement irrespective of season. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology to record the presence of an object using radio signals. It is used for inventory control or timing sporting events. RFID is not a replacement for the barcoding, but a complement for distant reading of codes. The technology is used for automatically identifying a person, a package or an item. To do this, it relies on RFID tags. These are small transponders (combined radio receiver and transmitter) that will transmit identity information over a short distance, when asked. The other piece to make use of RFID tags is an RFID tag reader. GSM/GPRS module is used to establish communication between a computer and a GSM-GPRS system. Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is an extension of GSM that enables higher data transmission rate. GSM module consists of a GSM/GPRS modem assembled together with power supply circuit and communication interfaces (like RS-232, USB, etc.) for computer. When a person tries to enter a farm, he has to show a valid RF ID card in the entrance. The RF card reader checks the authenticity of the person and denies entry to unauthorized person. The RF card reader is interfaced with a GSM module which automatically informs the owner about each entry via SMS. In summary this project is an efficient method to save a farmer’s field from animals and at the same time it saves farmer’s precious time by automatically sprinkling water in the field according to the moisture content of soil.

Innovative Features

This innovation is highly useful for preventing animals from entering farms and thus saves the crops from grazing. The amount of shock is different for animals and humans and within tolerable limits. Other innovative features of the innovation are given below:

  • It ensures that only authorized persons can enter the farm and also alerts the owner about each and every entry in the farm.

  • Interfacing of run time switches with micro-controller makes it flexible in respect of time settings for running a sprinkler water pipe line.

  • A farmer using this system while doing irrigation work get protection against extreme odd weather conditions, tedious work of repeated assembly of sprinkler auxiliary water pipe line and risk of encounter with poisonous reptiles.

  • Designed system enables a farmer to keep on irrigation work in the night hours. This system eliminates the requirements of physical presence of a farmer during irrigation in the fields, as the system itself continuously monitors and control the sprinkler auxiliary water pipe line automatically.

  • Very low cost and environment Friendly technology has been used.

Future Scope of the Innovation

For further improvement we can use a camera for proper identification of people trying to enter the farm. For protecting the farm from water logging we can add a motor driven shelter which will automatically close in case of excess rainfall. It has lot of scope of further development and hence can be carried on by others for more added features.