volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

This paper describes the radio propagation measurement campaign in the sugarcane field representing a tall food grass characteristic which is one of the common types in outdoor agriculture environments. The measurement was conducted by using a channel sounder having a bandwidth of 45.6 MHz at 2.45 GHz with the aim at investigating the propagation channel characteristics which are useful in deploying of wireless sensor networks in the precision agriculture. By analogy to Ikegami model, the variation of path loss over the relative angles between the plant rows and the line-of-sight direction from the transmitter to the receiver is identified. Utilizing this knowledge, this work justifies the procedure of predicting the path loss at any point in the field by a few measurement efforts. Furthermore, the Rician K-factor and RMS delay spread are investigated in the vegetation depth shorter than 40 m. The result shows that the relationship between the Rician K-factor and its corresponding path loss value in each measurement point can be fitted with the log-linear line. This leads to the possibility of predicting K-factor at any points in the field. In addition, since the result of RMS delay spread is independent to the vegetation depth and the density of the plant, it is represented by the statistical model in which the Weibull distribution provides the best representation.

1. Bongiovanni, R. and J. Lowenberg-Deboer, "Precision agriculture and sustainability," Precision Agriculture, Vol. 5, No. 4, 359-387, Aug. 2004.
doi:10.1023/B:PRAG.0000040806.39604.aa Google Scholar

2. Ndzi, D. L., A. Harun, F. M. Ramli, M. L. Kamarudin, A. Zakaria, A. Y. M. Shakaff, M. N. Jaafar, S. Zhou, and R. S. Farook, "Wireless sensor network coverage measurement and planning in mixed crop farming," Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Vol. 105, 83-94, 2014.
doi:10.1016/j.compag.2014.04.012 Google Scholar

3. Srisooksai, T., K. Keamarungsi, P. Lamsrichan, and K. Araki, "Practical data compression in wireless sensor networks: A survey," Journal of Network and Computer Applications, Vol. 35, No. 1, 37-59, Jan. 2012.
doi:10.1016/j.jnca.2011.03.001 Google Scholar

4. Castiglione, P., S. Savazzi, M. Nicoli, and T. Zemen, "Partner selection in indoor-to-outdoor cooperative networks: An experimental study," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 31, No. 8, 1559-1571, Aug. 2013.
doi:10.1109/JSAC.2013.130818 Google Scholar

5. Savage, N., D. Ndzi, A. Seville, E. Vilar, and J. Austin, "Radio wave propagation through vegetation: Factors influencing signal attenuation," Radio Science, Vol. 38, No. 5, n/a-n/a, Oct. 2003. Google Scholar

6. Joshi, G. G., C. B. Dietrich, C. R. Anderson, W. G. Newhall, W. A. Davis, J. Isaacs, and G. Barnett, "Near-ground channel measurements over line-of-sight and forested paths," IEE Proceedings --- Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 152, No. 6, 589-596, Dec. 2005.
doi:10.1049/ip-map:20050013 Google Scholar

7. Gay-Fernandez, J. A., M. Garcia S´annchez, I. Cuinas, A. V. Alejos, J. G. Sanchez, and J. L. Miranda-Sierra, "Propagation analysis and deployment of a wireless sensor network in a forest," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 106, 121-145, 2010.
doi:10.2528/PIER10040806 Google Scholar

8. Gay-Fernandez, J. A. and I. Cuinas, "Peer to peer wireless propagation measurements and path-loss modeling in vegetated environments," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 61, No. 6, 3302-3311, Jun. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2013.2254452 Google Scholar

9. Oestges, C., B. M. Villacieros, and D. Vanhoenacker-Janvier, "Radio channel characterization for moderate antenna heights in forest areas," IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 58, No. 8, 4031-4035, Oct. 2009.
doi:10.1109/TVT.2009.2024947 Google Scholar

10. Gay-Fernandez, J. A. and I. Cuinas, "Short-term modeling in vegetation media at wireless network frequency bands," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 62, No. 6, 3330-3337, Jun. 2014.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2014.2314459 Google Scholar

11. ITU-R P.833-9 "Attenuation in vegetation,", Sep. 2016. Google Scholar

12. Anderson, C. R., H. I. Volos, and R. M. Buehrer, "Characterization of low-antenna ultrawideband propagation in a forest environment," IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 62, No. 7, 2878-2895, Sep. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TVT.2013.2251027 Google Scholar

13. Grivet, L. and P. Arruda, "Sugarcane genomics: Depicting the complex genome of an important tropical crop," Current Opinion in Plant Biology, Vol. 5, No. 2, 122-127, 2002.
doi:10.1016/S1369-5266(02)00234-0 Google Scholar

14. Balachander, D., T. R. Rao, and G. Mahesh, "RF propagation experiments in agricultural fields and gardens for wireless sensor communications," Progress In Electromagnetics Research C, Vol. 39, 103-118, 2013.
doi:10.2528/PIERC13030710 Google Scholar

15. Ndzi, D. L., L. M. Kamarudin, A. A. Muhammad Ezanuddin, A. Zakaria, R. B. Ahmad, M. F. B. A. Malek, A. Y. M. Shakaff, and M. Jafaar, "Vegetation attenuation measurements Vegetation attenuation measurements," Progress In Electromagnetics Research B, Vol. 36, 283-301, 2012.
doi:10.2528/PIERB11091908 Google Scholar

16. Hara, M., H. Shimasaki, Y. Kado, and M. Ichida, "Effect of vegetation growth on radio wave propagation in 920-MHz band," IEICE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 99, No. 1, 81-86, 2016.
doi:10.1587/transcom.2015ISP0021 Google Scholar

17. Amaral, L. R., R. G. Trevisan, and J. P. Molin, "Canopy sensor placement for variable-rate nitrogen application in sugarcane fields," Precision Agriculture, Vol. 19, No. 1, 147-160, Feb. 2018.
doi:10.1007/s11119-017-9505-x Google Scholar

18. Garcia-Sanchez, A.-J., F. Garcia-Sanchez, and J. Garcia-Haro, "Wireless sensor network deployment for integrating video-surveillance and data-monitoring in precision agriculture over distributed crops," Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Vol. 75, No. 2, 288-303, 2011.
doi:10.1016/j.compag.2010.12.005 Google Scholar

19. Payne, A. B., K. B. Walsh, P. P. Subedi, and D. Jarvis, "Estimation of mango crop yield using image analysis --- Segmentation method," Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Vol. 91, 57-64, 2013.
doi:10.1016/j.compag.2012.11.009 Google Scholar

20. Cubero, S., W. S. Lee, N. Aleixos, F. Albert, and J. Blasco, "Automated systems based on machine vision for inspecting citrus fruits from the field to postharvest --- A review," Food and Bioprocess Technology, Vol. 9, No. 10, 1023-1639, 2016.
doi:10.1007/s11947-016-1767-1 Google Scholar

21. IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015 (Revision of IEEE Std 802.15.4-2011) "IEEE standard for low-rate wireless networks,", IEEE 2006, Apr. 2016. Google Scholar

22. Meng, Y. S. and Y. H. Lee, "Investigations of foliage effect on modern wireless communication systems: A review," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 105, 313-332, 2010.
doi:10.2528/PIER10042605 Google Scholar

23. Johnson, R. and F. Schwering, "A transport theory of millimeter wave propagation in woods and forests,", US Army, Comumunications-Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Tech. Rep. CECOM-TR-85-1, 1985. Google Scholar

24. COST 235 Management Committee, COST 235 Radiowave Propagation Effects on Nextgeneration Fixed-Services Terrestrial Telecommunications Systems, , 1996. Google Scholar

25. Seville, A. and K. H. Craig, "Semi-empirical model for millimetre-wave vegetation attenuation rates," Electronics Letters, Vol. 31, No. 17, 1507-1508, Aug. 1995.
doi:10.1049/el:19951000 Google Scholar

26. Al-Nuaimi, M. and A. Hammoudeh, "Measurements and predictions of attenuation and scatter of microwave signals by trees," IEE Proceedings-Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 141, No. 2, 70-76, 1994.
doi:10.1049/ip-map:19949840 Google Scholar

27. Meng, Y. S., Y. H. Lee, and B. C. Ng, "Empirical near ground path loss modeling in a forest at VHF and UHF bands," and UHF bands, Vol. 57, No. 5, 1461-1468, May 2009. Google Scholar

28. Kattenbach, R., "Statistical modeling of small-scale fading in directional radio channels," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 20, No. 3, 584-592, Apr. 2002.
doi:10.1109/49.995517 Google Scholar

29. ITU-R P.1407-5 "Multipath propagation and parametrization of its characteristics,", Sep. 2013. Google Scholar

30. 30, T., J. Takada, and K. Saito, "Portable wide-band channel sounder based software defined radio for studying the radio propagation in an outdoor environment," 2017 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (ISAP), 1-2, Oct. 2017. Google Scholar

31. Kaemarungsi, K., "Development and deployment of ZigBee wireless sensor networks for precision agriculture in sugarcane field," Asia-Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) 33rd, Feb. 2012. Google Scholar

32. Kim, M., Y. Konishi, Y. Chang, and J. Takada, "Large scale parameters and double-directional characterization of indoor wideband radio multipath channels at 11 GHz," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 62, No. 1, 430-441, Jan. 2014.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2013.2288633 Google Scholar

33. Al-Nuaimi, M. O. and A. G. Siamarou, "Coherence bandwidth characterisation and estimation for indoor Rician multipath wireless channels using measurements at 62.4GHz," Antennas and Propagation IEE Proceedings --- Microwaves, Vol. 149, No. 3, 181-187, Jun. 2002.
doi:10.1049/ip-map:20020391 Google Scholar

34. Varela, M. S. and M. G. Sanchez, "RMS delay and coherence bandwidth measurements in indoor radio channels in the UHF band," IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 50, No. 2, 515-525, Mar. 2001.
doi:10.1109/25.923063 Google Scholar

35. Fleury, B. H., "An uncertainty relation for WSS processes and its application to WSSUS systems," IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 44, No. 12, 1632-1634, Dec. 1996.
doi:10.1109/26.545890 Google Scholar

36. Oestges, C., N. Czink, B. Bandemer, P. Castiglione, F. Kaltenberger, and A. J. Paulraj, "Experimental characterization and modeling of outdoor-to-indoor and indoor-to-indoor distributed channels," IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 59, No. 5, 2253-2265, Jun. 2010.
doi:10.1109/TVT.2010.2042475 Google Scholar

37. Molisch, A. F., Wireless Communications, 2nd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

38. Akaike, H., "Information theory and an extension of the maximum likelihood principle," Selected Papers of Hirotugu Akaike, E. Parzen, K. Tanabe, and G. Kitagawa (eds.), 199-213, Springer, New York, NY, New York, 1998. Google Scholar

39. Burnham, K. P., D. R. Anderson, and K. P. Burnham, Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach, 2nd Ed., Springer, New York, 2002.

40. Sugiura, N., "Further analysts of the data by akaike’s information criterion and the finite corrections: Further analysts of the data by akaike’s," Communications in Statistics --- Theory and Methods, Vol. 7, No. 1, 13-26, Jan. 1978.
doi:10.1080/03610927808827599 Google Scholar

41. Takada, J., J. Fu, H. Zhu, and T. Kobayashi, "Spatio-temporal channel characterization in a suburban non line-of-sight microcellular environment," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 20, No. 3, 532-538, Apr. 2002.
doi:10.1109/49.995512 Google Scholar

42. Walpole, R. E., Ed., Essentials of Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists, Pearson, Boston, Mass., 2013.

Dr. Tossaporn Srisooksai

Dr. Kamol Kaemarungsi

Dr. Junichi Takada

Dr. Kentaro Saito