Automated adaptive sprinkler system

• US 10,124,358 B1
• Filed: 12/01/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aquatic Robotics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aquatic Robotics, Inc.
• Inventors: Graham, Oliver T., Whiting, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Valvis, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barrera, Juan C
• Application Number:
  US15/829,685
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: 239 1, 239200-210, 23921423, 239227, 239232, 239237, 239243, 239256, 239262, 2392631
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/02 for controlling time, or sequence, of delivery
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/12 responsive to conditions of ambient medium or target, e.g. humidity, temperature position or movement of the target relative to the spray apparatus B05B12/082, B05B12/084 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/652 whereby the jet can be oriented
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/70 Arrangements for moving spray heads automatically to or from the working position
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering

Abstract

A system for allocating irrigation resources includes a hub for collecting imaging data and soil condition readings from watering areas proximal to sprinkler nodes. A combiner operated to form combined cluster data from each sprinkler node in a sprinkler cluster. An interpreter operated to generate mapped cluster data from combined cluster data and a geolocation map. A correlator to generate a current cluster snapshot from the mapped cluster data and spatiotemporal weather information. A comparator configured to compare the current cluster snapshot with recorded sprinkler cluster activity data to determine deficient regions within the watering areas in sprinkler cluster, and generate an activation control for the sprinkler cluster. A selector to select a spatiotemporal watering control from the activation control for a specific sprinkler node. The specific sprinkler node to deliver a directed fluid stream to the deficient region within the watering area.

Claims

1. A system for allocating irrigation resources comprising:

a plurality of sprinkler nodes, each sprinkler node comprising;

a sprinkler head to;

receive a fluid stream; and

orient a variable water nozzle to send a directed fluid stream to a deficient region within a watering area of the sprinkler node, the variable water nozzle oriented by operation of a pan motor and a tilt motor, a flow pressure of the directed fluid stream altered by operation of a pressure regulator to affect a delivery distance;

a sensor to;

generate a sprinkler node sensor reading; and

send the sprinkler node sensor reading to a hub to transform the sprinkler node sensor reading into a spatiotemporal watering control; and

a controller to;

receive the spatiotemporal watering control from the hub; and

control the sprinkler head based on the spatiotemporal watering control, the spatiotemporal watering control operating the pan motor, the tilt motor, and the pressure regulator to adjust a spray pattern of the sprinkler head to apply the directed fluid stream to specifically favor the deficient region of the watering area, the deficient region being a portion of the watering area;

the hub to;

receive the sprinkler node sensor reading from each of the sprinkler nodes;

map the sprinkler node sensor readings to a geolocation map to generate mapped node readings;

compare the mapped node readings with recorded sprinkler node activity stored in a control memory data structure to identify deficient regions within the watering area of each of the sprinkler nodes;

generate the spatiotemporal watering control for each of the sprinkler nodes;

the hub further to;

form a plurality of sprinkler clusters each comprising two or more of the sprinkler nodes, each of the sprinkler clusters having a cluster watering area with one or more of the deficient regions located within the cluster watering area, at least one of the deficient regions within the watering area of two or more of the two or more sprinkler nodes in each of the sprinkler clusters; and

combine the sprinkler node sensor readings from each of the sprinkler clusters into combined cluster readings mapped to the geolocation map to generate mapped cluster readings, and to compare the mapped cluster readings to recorded sprinkler cluster activity to generate the spatiotemporal watering control for each of the sprinkler nodes, the spatiotemporal watering control selecting one of the sprinkler nodes in the sprinkler clusters to apply the directed fluid stream to specifically favor each of the deficient regions in the cluster watering area.

2. The system of claim 1, the sensor comprising an image sensor and a ground sensor to generate imaging data and soil condition readings, respectively, the sprinkler node sensor reading comprising combined node readings comprising the imaging data and the soil condition readings, the hub mapping the combined node readings to the geolocation map to generate the mapped node readings.

3. The system of claim 1, the hub to correlate the mapped node readings with spatiotemporal weather information to generate a current node snapshot, the current node snapshot compared with the recorded sprinkler node activity.

4. The system of claim 1 the hub to correlate the mapped cluster readings and spatiotemporal weather information to generate a current cluster snapshot and to compare the current cluster snapshot with the recorded sprinkler cluster activity to generate the spatiotemporal watering control for each of the sprinkler nodes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the sprinkler nodes communicates directly with the hub to send the sprinkler node sensor reading and to receive the spatiotemporal watering control.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the sprinkler nodes operate as a mesh network communicating with the hub to send the sprinkler node sensor readings and to receive the spatiotemporal watering control.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the spatiotemporal watering control further directs the sensor of the sprinkler node to collect the sprinkler node sensor readings of the watering area proximal to the sprinkler node.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the spatiotemporal watering control further controls the sprinkler node to deliver a directed soil enrichment stream.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the recorded sprinkler node activity comprises node snap shots, each of the node snap shots comprising one or more of the sprinkler node sensor readings, recorded spatiotemporal weather information, and the spatiotemporal watering control applied to the sprinkler node.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the spatiotemporal watering control determines an activation time, a flow pattern, and a water volume for the directed fluid stream, and calibration settings for the sprinkler node.

11. The system of claim 1, the hub to generate a recommendation notification based on the spatiotemporal watering control operating the sprinkler node for a specific deficient region in excess of a pre-determined threshold value.