Method and system for controlling an irrigation scheduling engine using computed evapotranspiration values

• US 20050187666A1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HydroPoint Data Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: HydroPoint Data Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Marian, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,216,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/284
• 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: G05D 22/02 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1866 For controlling soil irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/189 Soil moisture sensing

Abstract

A system for providing irrigation control is provided. The system includes a number of non-local data sources for providing data, a processor and an irrigation system. The processor is configured to receive data from one or more of the non-local data sources and calculate an evapotranspiration (ET) value for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the non-local data sources. The processor is further configured to create or alter an irrigation program based on the ET value. The irrigation system is configured to receive the irrigation program from the processor and provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area using the irrigation program.

Claims

1. A system for providing irrigation control, comprising:

a plurality of non-local data sources for providing data;

a processor configured to receive data from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and calculate an evapotranspiration (ET) value for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the plurality of non-local data sources, the processor further configured to create or alter an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

an irrigation system configured to receive the irrigation program from the processor and provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area using the irrigation program.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to use a modeling application to calculate weather parameters using data received from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and further utilize the weather parameters to generate the ET value.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting model.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the irrigation program for transmission to the irrigation system;

and

wherein the irrigation system is further configured to decrypt the irrigation program received from the processor.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

7. A system for providing irrigation control, comprising:

a plurality of non-local data sources for providing data;

a processor configured to receive data from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and calculate an evapotranspiration (ET) value for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the plurality of non-local data sources, the processor further configured to create one or more components constituting an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

an irrigation system configured to receive the one or more components from the processor.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the irrigation system is further configured to use the one or more components received from the processor to derive the irrigation program and provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area based on the irrigation program.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to use a modeling application to calculate weather parameters using data received from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and further utilize the weather parameters to generate the ET value.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the one or more components for transmission to the irrigation system;

and

wherein the irrigation system is further configured to decrypt the one or more components received from the processor.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

14. A system for providing irrigation control, comprising:

a plurality of non-local data sources for providing data;

a processor configured to receive data from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and calculate weather parameters using a modeling application, the processor also configured to use the weather parameters to compute an evapotranspiration (ET) value for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the plurality of non-local data sources, the processor further configured to create or alter an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

an irrigation system located in the area and configured to receive the irrigation program from the processor and provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area using the irrigation program.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the irrigation program for transmission to the irrigation system;

and

wherein the irrigation system is further configured to decrypt the irrigation program received from the processor.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

19. A system for providing irrigation control, comprising:

a plurality of non-local data sources for providing data;

a processor configured to receive data from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and calculate an evapotranspiration (ET) value for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the plurality of non-local data sources; and

an irrigation system configured to receive the ET value from the processor, create or alter an irrigation program based on the ET value and provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area using the irrigation program.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the processor is further configured to use a modeling application to calculate weather parameters using data received from one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources and further utilize the weather parameters to generate the ET value.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the ET value for transmission to the irrigation system;

and

wherein the irrigation system is further configured to decrypt the ET value received from the processor.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

25. A method for providing irrigation control, comprising:

receiving data from one or more non-local data sources;

calculating an evapotranspiration (ET) value based on the data received from the one or more non-local data sources, wherein the ET value is for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the non-local data sources;

creating or altering an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

providing appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area based on the irrigation program.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein calculating the ET value further comprises:

using a modeling application to calculate weather parameters based on the data received from the one or more of the plurality of non-local data sources; and

using the weather parameters to calculate the ET value.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein an irrigation system is configured to provide the appropriate irrigation control, the method further comprising:

transmitting the irrigation program to the irrigation system.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

encrypting the irrigation program for transmission to the irrigation system;

decrypting the irrigation program; and

using the decrypted irrigation program to provide the appropriate irrigation control.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

32. A method for providing irrigation control, comprising:

receiving data from one or more non-local data sources;

calculating an evapotranspiration (ET) value based on the data received from the one or more non-local data sources, wherein the ET value is for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the non-local data sources;

generating one or more components constituting an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

transmitting the one or more components to an irrigation system.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

receiving the one or more components at the irrigation system;

deriving the irrigation program at the irrigation system using the one or more components; and

providing appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area based on the irrigation program.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

encrypting the one or more components for transmission to the irrigation system; and

decrypting the one or more components at the irrigation system.

35. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

using a modeling application to calculate weather parameters using data received from the one or more non-local data sources; and

using the weather parameters to generate the ET value.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

38. The method of claim 32 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

39. A method for providing irrigation control, comprising:

receiving data from one or more non-local data sources;

calculating weather parameters using a modeling application based on the data received from the one or more non-local data sources;

using the weather parameters to compute an evapotranspiration (ET) value for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the non-local data sources;

creating or altering an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

transmitting the irrigation program to an irrigation system.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising:

directing the irrigation system to provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area based on the irrigation program.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

43. The method of claim 39 further comprising:

encrypting the irrigation program for transmission to the irrigation system; and

decrypting the irrigation program at the irrigation system.

44. The method of claim 39 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.

45. A method for providing irrigation control, comprising:

receiving data from one or more non-local data sources;

calculating an evapotranspiration (ET) value based on the data received from the one or more non-local data sources, wherein the ET value is for an irrigation area that is non-local with respect to the one or more non-local data sources;

transmitting the ET value to an irrigation system;

directing the irrigation system to create or alter an irrigation program based on the ET value; and

directing the irrigation system to provide appropriate irrigation control for the irrigation area using the irrigation program.

46. The method of claim 45 further comprising:

using a modeling application to calculate weather parameters using the data received from the one or more non-local data sources; and

using the weather parameters to generate the ET value.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the modeling application includes a mesoscale model known as MM5.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein the modeling application includes the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

49. The method of claim 45 further comprising:

encrypting the ET value for transmission to the irrigation system; and

decrypting the ET value at the irrigation system.

50. The method of claim 45 wherein the irrigation area does not have sufficient measuring apparatus to capture local information that is needed to calculate the ET value for the irrigation area.