Multi-Bio Sensor For Grape Cluster

2022-ECET, 22-PW-2nd, 22-VW-2nd

The objective of this project is to design, test, and create and a system that can measure four different parameters within a grape cluster and collect the data to be viewed at a later time. The system needs to be able to run over the course of a grapes growing season which is three to four months

 

Team Members

Anthony Grassi | Andrew Josephson | Joseph Aiello | |

Project Poster

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Project Summary

 

Overview

Team members at the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center (LERGREC) annually combat several types of mold, rotting, and harsh conditions that lower their grape yield in the vineyards. They would like to better monitor the temperature, humidity, overall moisture, and physical pressure within their grape clusters throughout the growing season. This requires an invasive cluster sensor to store data for each of these four parameters.

Objectives

Our team researched and worked to develop a system that has three battery powered probes to monitor these four parameters for the entire four month growing period without interruption.

Approach

  • Meeting with the project sponsor at the grape research center to obtain an understanding of their desired application for the system and what it needed to achieve.
  • Extensive research on sensors that read temperature, humidity, moisture, and pressure that are small enough to fit inside of a grape cluster as well as being exposed to various weather conditions.
  • Functional design of a system that powers the desired sensors using a battery and microcontroller to store the data to be retrieved by the user.
  • Development of a project plan, Gantt chart, and several alternative product comparisons.
  • Schematic design along with item purchasing and initial prototyping.
  • Software development to ensure the system starts reading upon initial power up.
  • Extensive breadboard testing to verify the sensors are calibrated and reading parameters correctly.
  • Verifying the data can be retrieved from the system via SD card in a text file with incremental time stamps to show the progression of data.

Outcomes

  • The LERGREC team will be able to monitor the inside of a grape cluster for the entire growing season.
  • The team will be able to retrieve the data to sort into graphs or charts to optimize their growing and harvesting processes.
  • The development of first system to function as an invasive grape cluster monitor.
  • Easily reproducible system that could be implemented into all 27 varieties of grapes at the research center.