METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IRRIGATION AND CLIMATE CONTROL

• US 20110035059A1
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: ClimateMinder, Inc. (Rain Bird Corporation)
• Inventors: Ersavas, Bulut F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 2/00 Vegetative propagation plant reproduction by tissue culture techniques A01H4/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/023 Dispensing fittings for drip irrigation, e.g. drippers
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• 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: B05B 12/04 for sequential operation or multiple outlets
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0617 specially adapted for fluid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A wireless system is provided for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and controlling irrigation or climate control systems at an agricultural or landscape site. The wireless system includes a wireless sensor network including a plurality of sensor nodes for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and controlling one or more irrigation or climate control systems at the site. The wireless system also includes a server computer system located remotely from the site. The server computer system is coupled to the wireless sensor network over a communications network for receiving data from and controlling operation of the sensor nodes. The server computer system is also coupled to a device operated by an end-user over a communications network for transmitting the data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-user.

Claims

1. A wireless system for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and controlling irrigation or climate control systems at an agricultural or landscape site, comprising:

a wireless sensor network comprising a plurality of sensor nodes for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and controlling one or more irrigation or climate control systems at the site; and

a server computer system located remotely from the site, said server computer system coupled to the wireless sensor network over a communications network for receiving data from and controlling operation of the sensor nodes, said server computer system also coupled to a device operated by an end-user over a communications network for transmitting the data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-user.

2. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the wireless sensor network further comprises a base station for transferring data between the plurality of sensor nodes and the server computer system.

3. The wireless system of claim 2, wherein said base station disseminates control commands from the server computer system to the sensor nodes.

4. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system communicates with the wireless sensor network through the Internet or a cellular network.

5. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system transmits measurements from sensor networks to end users via the Internet or a cellular network.

6. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system responds to queries from the end-user with short text messages (SMS), web pages, or screens to be displayed on a cell phone application.

7. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the climate control system includes vents, fans, heating units, heat curtains, shade curtains, misting units, or cooling pads, and wherein the irrigation control system includes pumps, solenoid or other types of valves, or fertigation devices.

8. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the sensor nodes form an ad-hoc dynamic wireless mesh sensor network, and wherein each sensor node sends collected environmental, soil, or climate measurements to a base communication node by relaying data through a neighbor sensor node, and wherein the sensor node identifies the neighbor sensor node by determining which node can be used to establish the highest quality data transfer link.

9. The wireless system of claim 8, wherein the neighbor sensor node having the best quality link comprises a parent node that is used as a bridge for sending data to the base communication node.

10. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the sensor nodes take measurements of environmental, soil, or climate parameters, and compare the measurements against control conditions received by the sensor nodes and stored in an internal memory, and control the one or more irrigation or climate control systems accordingly.

11. The wireless system of claim 10 wherein the environmental, soil, or climate parameters include temperature, humidity, or soil moisture conditions.

12. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the communications network for transferring data between the wireless sensor network and the server computer system comprises a GPRS network, an Edge network, a 3G network, a UMTS network, a cellular network, a wireless broadband data communication service, or WiMAX.

13. The wireless system of claim 1, further comprises a web based application or a cell phone application for providing an interface for monitoring data from the wireless sensor network and transmitting commands to the central computer server.

14. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system determines an irrigation schedule for the site or particular zones at the site based on historical evapotranspiration (ET) data and information on crops or soil at the site.

15. The wireless system of claim 14, wherein the server computer system adjusts the irrigation schedule for a given period of time based on ET data at the site for an immediate prior period of time.

16. The wireless system of claim 14, wherein the server computer system adjusts the irrigation schedule based on soil moisture readings from one or more sensor nodes at the site.

17. The wireless system of claim 14, wherein the server computer system adjusts the irrigation schedule based on irrigation flow readings from one or more flow sensor nodes at the site.

18. The wireless system of claim 14, wherein the server computer system adjusts the irrigation schedule based on weather forecast information.

19. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the wireless sensor nodes communicate with and directly control the operation of valves or pumps without a central controller.

20. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system analyzes soil condition data received from the wireless sensor network and generates recommended upper and lower threshold values for starting and stopping irrigation, and wherein a user of the system is provided with the option of accepting or modifying the recommended values.

21. A method of controlling irrigation or climate control systems at an agricultural or landscape site, comprising:

communicating with a wireless sensor network installed at the site over a communications network, said wireless sensor network comprising a plurality of sensor nodes for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and controlling one or more irrigation or climate control systems at the site, wherein communicating with the wireless sensor network comprises receiving data from and controlling operation of the sensor nodes; and

communicating with a device operated by an end-user over a communications network for transmitting the data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein communicating with the wireless sensor network comprises communicating via the Internet or a cellular network.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein communicating with the device comprises communicating via the Internet or a cellular network.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising responding to queries from the end-user with short text messages (SMS), web pages, or screens to be displayed on a cell phone application.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein communicating with the wireless sensor network comprises communicating using a GPRS network, an Edge network, a 3G network, a UMTS network, a cellular network, a wireless broadband data communication service, or WiMAX.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining an irrigation schedule for the site or particular zones at the site based on historical evapotranspiration (ET) data and information on crops or soil at the site.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting the irrigation schedule for a given period of time based on ET data at the site for an immediate prior period of time.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting the irrigation schedule based on soil moisture readings from one or more sensor nodes at the site.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting the irrigation schedule based on irrigation flow readings from one or more flow sensor nodes at the site.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting the irrigation schedule based on weather forecast information.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising transmitting control conditions to the sensor nodes, and wherein the sensor nodes take measurements of environmental, soil, or climate parameters, compare the measurements against the control conditions, and control the one or more irrigation or climate control systems accordingly.

32. The method of claim 21, further comprising analyzing soil condition data received from the wireless sensor network and generating recommended upper and lower threshold values for starting and stopping irrigation, and wherein a user of the system is provided with the option of accepting or modifying the recommended values.