A Novel System Architecture for Automated Field-Based Tent Systems for Controlled-Environment Agriculture

Experimentation within the field of agronomy relies upon maintaining a controlled operating environment to determine various environmental factors’ effects upon a crop. These experiments are carried out in small growth chambers and can control limited variables such as light, temperature, and humidity. Space is a premium inside the chambers which limits the capacity for additional sensors and other equipment. Field conditions are more complex than a growth chamber, which makes it difficult to analyze the effect of factors in a more realistic scenario. In this paper, we propose a system architecture for a field-based controlled environment for agriculture and experimentation. First, the overall architecture is proposed for integrating a multitude of wired and wireless sensors, different controllers, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and actuators to assess and maintain environmental variables. Next, each component is detailed for its role and responsibilities within the system. Then, scientific applications of the system are proposed and explored before finally analyzing a case study implementation of the architecture.