Pressure driven irrigation system

• US 10,561,077 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2016
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bermudez Rodriguez, Sergio A., Klein, Levente, Schrott, Alejandro G., van Kessel, Theodore G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieuwen, Cody J
• Application Number:
  US15/063,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20170258018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 700280, 700284, 181254, 239 63- 71
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/023 Dispensing fittings for drip irrigation, e.g. drippers
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/165 Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/00 Arrangements for controlling delivery; Arrangements for controlling the spray area
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/04 for sequential operation or multiple outlets

Abstract

A system and method for water irrigation system are provided. The water irrigation system includes a set of pressure modulators for generating a set of modulated pressure signals that include an actuating pressure signal and a de-actuating pressure signal. The water irrigation system includes a set of irrigating elements. Each of the irrigating elements includes a water emitter connected to a pressure sensing circuit. The pressure sensing circuit is for actuating the water emitter responsive to the actuating signal and de-actuating the water emitter responsive to the de-actuating signal. The water irrigation system further includes tubing for carrying water for irrigation and the modulated pressure signals to the irrigating element.

Claims

1. A water irrigation system for irrigating a plurality of zones, comprising:

a set of acoustic pressure modulators for generating a set of modulated acoustic pressure signals that include an actuating pressure signal and a de-actuating pressure signal, the set of acoustic pressure modulators including different subsets, wherein the different subsets control different ones of the plurality of zones by selectively providing the same or different ones of the actuating and de-actuating pressure signals to the different ones of the plurality of zones at any given time;

a set of acoustically-reactive irrigating elements disposed in each of the plurality of zones, each including an acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter, the acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter being selectively actuated or de-actuated responsive to the actuating pressure signal and the de-actuating pressure signal, respectively; and

tubing for carrying water for irrigation and the modulated acoustic pressure signals to the irrigating element.

2. The water irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter performs drip irrigation, responsive to a specific oscillation frequency of the actuating pressure signal from the subset of acoustic pressure modulators in control thereof.

3. The water irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the tubing comprises segments separated by pressure attenuating tubing bends, each of the segments forming a separate one of the plurality of irrigation zones.

4. The water irrigation system of claim 3, wherein at least some of the acoustic pressure modulators provide different actuating signals and de-actuating signals to at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones at the any given time to provide differential irrigation between the plurality of irrigation zones.

5. The water irrigation system of claim 4, wherein the differential irrigation comprises different irrigation rates.

6. The water irrigation system of claim 4, wherein at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones are of different sizes.

7. The water irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the set of irrigating elements provide variable irrigation rates there between based on at least one of a frequency and a power of the actuating signal.

8. The water irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the set of acoustic pressure modulators comprises a set of audio speakers.

9. The water irrigation system of claim 1, wherein each of the irrigating elements in any given one of the plurality of zones are separately addressable for selective actuation and de-actuation at any given time.

10. The water irrigation system of claim 9, wherein the set of acoustic pressure modulators generate the actuating pressure signal for at least some of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones based on a sum of pressure signals that exceed at least one of a threshold frequency and a threshold amplitude such that the at least some of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are active while remaining ones of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are inactive.

11. The water irrigation system of claim 10, wherein at least two of the pressure signals that are summed have at least one of different amplitudes and different frequencies.

12. A method for water irrigation for a plurality of zones, comprising:

configuring a set of acoustic pressure modulators to generate a set of modulated acoustic pressure signals that include an actuating pressure signal and a de-actuating pressure signal, the set of acoustic pressure modulators including different subsets, wherein the different subsets control different ones of the plurality of zones by selectively providing the same or different ones of the actuating and de-actuating pressure signals to the different ones of the plurality of zones at any given time;

configuring a set of acoustically reactive irrigating elements disposed in each of the plurality of zones, each including an acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter, the acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter being selectively actuated or de-actuated responsive to the actuating pressure signal and the de-actuating pressure signal, respectively; and

configuring tubing to carry water for irrigation and the modulated acoustic pressure signals to the irrigating element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the tubing is configured into segments separated by pressure attenuating tubing bends, each of the segments forming a separate one of the plurality of irrigation zones.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising configuring at least some of the acoustic pressure modulators to provide different actuating signals and de-actuating signals to at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones to provide differential irrigation between the plurality of irrigation zones.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones are of different sizes, and wherein the differential irrigation comprises different irrigation rates.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of irrigating elements is configured to provide variable irrigation rates there between based on at least one of a frequency and a power of the actuating signal.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the irrigating elements in any given one of the plurality of zones are configured to be separately addressable for selective actuation and de-actuation at any given time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of acoustic pressure modulators is configured to generate the actuating pressure signal for at least some of the irrigating elements in a given one of the plurality of zones based on a sum of pressure signals that exceed at least one of a threshold frequency and a threshold amplitude such that the at least some of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are active while remaining ones of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are inactive.