Method for three-dimensional moisture control using resistivity data

• US 10,356,991 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Earth Systems Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bryant Consultants Incorporated
• Inventors: Bryant, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Lindsay, Bernard G
• Application Number:
  US16/017,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20180303050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/167 Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/048 for determining moisture content of the material
• 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 and method for moisture control includes a computer, a probe controller connected to the computer, a set of probes connected to the probe controller, a sprinkler controller connected to the computer, and a set of sprinklers connected to the sprinkler controller. The set of probes are driven into the ground according to a predetermined set of positions. A set of high voltage currents is injected into the ground through the set of probes and measurements are taken. A three-dimensional resistivity model is generated from the measurements and is compared to a set of moisture requirements. A set of sprinkler commands is generated based on the three-dimensional resistivity model and the set of moisture requirements. If the three-dimensional resistivity model meets the set of moisture requirements, the set of sprinklers are activated in each of a set of sprinkler zones according the three-dimensional resistivity model where watering is needed.

Claims

1. A method for moisture control executed by a computer comprising:

receiving, by the computer, a three-dimensional set of moisture requirements including a set of surface zones, each surface zone associated with a depth of a set of depths below a surface, each depth related to a type of foliage, stored in a look-up table;

receiving, by the computer, a set of probe data comprising measured voltages between a reference probe and each of a plurality of other probes and corresponding currents between pairs of the plurality of other probes, each of the reference probe and the other probes associated with a corresponding location;

calculating a set of resistivity data from the set of probe data, the probe locations, and a probe geometric constant;

sorting the set of resistivity data to create a set of sorted resistivity data;

generating a set of first resistivity models from the set of sorted resistivity data;

generating a set of second resistivity models from the set of first resistivity models;

combining each second resistivity model of the set of second resistivity models to generate a three-dimensional resistivity model;

comparing the three-dimensional resistivity model to the three-dimensional set of moisture requirements;

generating a set of sprinkler commands based on the comparison; and

,

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to a set of sprinkler controllers thereby activating at least one sprinkler.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to the set of sprinkler controllers whereby a plurality of sprinklers in the set of sprinklers are activated to achieve a uniform moisture level.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to the set of sprinkler controllers whereby a plurality of sprinklers in the set of sprinklers are activated to each disperse a different amount of water to a plurality of surface zones of the set of surface zones.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the set of sprinkler commands according to a watering schedule that is based on one of a set of watering restrictions and a set of weather conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a probe configuration for the reference probe and the plurality of other probes;

injecting a current based on the probe configuration; and

,

measuring a voltage based on probe configuration.

6. A method for moisture control executed by a computer comprising:

receiving, by the computer, a three-dimensional set of moisture requirements including a set of surface zones, each surface zone associated with one or more of a set of depths below a surface, each depth related to one or more types of foliage, stored in a look-up table;

receiving, by the computer, a set of probe data comprising measured voltages between a reference probe and each of a plurality of other probes and corresponding currents between pairs of the plurality of other probes, each of the reference probe and the other probes associated with a corresponding location;

calculating a set of resistivity data from the set of probe data, the probe locations, and a probe geometric constant;

applying a least squares data inversion to the set of resistivity data to derive a set of first resistivity models;

applying a kriging procedure to the set of first resistivity models to derive a set of second resistivity models;

combining each second resistivity model of the set of second resistivity models through a regression analysis to generate a three-dimensional resistivity model;

comparing the three-dimensional resistivity model to the three-dimensional set of moisture requirements;

generating a set of sprinkler commands based on the comparison; and

,

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to a set of sprinkler controllers thereby activating at least one sprinkler.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to the set of sprinkler controllers thereby activating a set of sprinklers to disperse different amounts of water to the one or more surface zones of the set of surface zones.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

sending the set of sprinkler commands according to a watering schedule based on at least one of a day of the week, a time, and a predetermined temperature.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instruction that, when executed by a computer, cause it to perform the steps of:

receiving, by the computer, a three-dimensional set of moisture requirements including a set of surface zones, each surface zone associated with a depth of a set of depths below a surface, each depth related to a type of foliage, stored in a look-up table;

receiving, by the computer, a set of probe data comprising measured voltages between a reference probe and each of a plurality of other probes and corresponding currents between pairs of the plurality of other probes, each of the reference probe and the other probes associated with a corresponding location;

calculating a set of resistivity data from the set of probe data, the probe locations, and a probe geometric constant;

sorting the set of resistivity data to create a set of sorted resistivity data;

generating a set of first resistivity models from the set of sorted resistivity data;

generating a set of second resistivity models from the set of first resistivity models;

combining each second resistivity model of the set of second resistivity models to generate a three-dimensional resistivity model;

comparing the three-dimensional resistivity model to the three-dimensional set of moisture requirements;

generating a set of sprinkler commands based on the comparison; and

,

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to a set of sprinkler controllers thereby activating at least one sprinkler.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, that when executed by the computer, cause it to perform the further step of:

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to the set of sprinkler controllers whereby a plurality of sprinklers in the set of sprinklers are activated to achieve a uniform moisture level.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, that when executed by the computer, cause it to perform the further step of:

sending, by the computer, the set of sprinkler commands to the set of sprinkler controllers whereby a plurality of sprinklers in the set of sprinklers are activated to each disperse a different amount of water to a plurality of surface zones of the set of surface zones.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, that when executed by the computer, cause it to perform the further step of:

sending the set of sprinkler commands according to a watering schedule that is based on one of a set of watering restrictions and a set of weather conditions.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, that when executed by the computer, cause it to perform the further steps of:

selecting a probe configuration for the reference probe and the plurality of other probes;

injecting a current based on the probe configuration; and

,

measuring a voltage based on probe configuration.