WATERFLOW-CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR AN AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM

• US 3,642,204 A
• Filed: 11/28/1969
• Issued: 02/15/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edward W. Mccloskey
• Original Assignee: Edward W. Mccloskey
• Inventors: McCloskey, Edward W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Jr., M. Henson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grant, Edwin D.
• Application Number:
  US04/880,851
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 239/63,64,65
• US Class Current: 239/63
• 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: F03B 3/10 characterised by having means for functioning alternatively as pumps or turbines starting F03B15/005
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2200/15 Inverse
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/22 Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/20 Hydro energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/12 using renewable energies, e.g. solar water pumping

Abstract

The specification discloses waterflow-controlling apparatus for an automatic irrigation system of a simple type including a single moisture-sensing means and one or more automatic sprinklers or other watering means controlled thereby or a plurality of such units together comprising a substantially larger automatic irrigation system. The waterflow-controlling apparatus includes one or more of the moisture-sensing means referred to above operatively controlling one or more waterflowcontrolling means, such as valve means, in a water supply line feeding water to one or more sprinklers or other irrigating outlets, with each such moisture-sensing means comprising a hollow cell having a water-permeable wall in water-transmissive relationship with an adjacent porous medium which, in one form, includes a main medium such as a body of earth and in another form includes such a main medium and intermediate medium such as diatomaceous earth or other porous, water-holding and watertransmissive medium, which in one form is disclosed as having its water permeability controllably adjustable. The transmission of water in or out of the cell of the mositure-sensing means produces a corresponding interior pressure variation which effectively operates the water-flow-controlling valve means in a waterflow-producing direction either directly, through water pressure operated servo means, electrical servo means, or otherwise, when the moisture content of the earth adjacent to the moisture-sensing means falls below a predetermined value and, conversely operates said waterflow-controlling means in a waterflow-reducing direction when the moisture content in the earth adjacent to the moisture-sensing means rises above a predetermined value. In one form of the invention, the inverse feedback nature of the moisture-sensing and waterflow-controlling operations is of a continuous, inversely proportional nature rather than of an on-off nature.

Claims

1. Waterflow-controlling apparatus for an automatic irrigation system, comprising:

moisture-sensing means adapted to be positioned in a porous medium for sensing the water content thereof, said moisture-sensing means taking the form of a hollow, sealed, chamber-defining container means having at lEast a portion thereof provided with a water-permeable porous wall and being adapted to be filled with water, said chamber-defining container means tending, upon the passage of a portion of water adapted to be contained therein, through said water-permeable porous wall, to create within the interior of said chamberdefining container means a vacuum or a pressure less than an initial pressure corresponding to an initial degree of water content of a porous medium adapted to surround said moisturesensing means, said water-permeable wall being adapted to be placed in effective water transmission relationship with respect to, and embedded at a selected depth within a porous medium which is adapted to be controllably irrigated by the apparatus; and

waterflow-controlling and valve means effectively coupled with respect to the interior of said chamber-defining container means and effectively responsive to negative pressure variations therein of a predetermined magnitude to initiate a waterflow oncycle at a predetermined low pressure of the interior of said chamber-defining container means; and

controllably adjustable depth-positioning means operable for controlling the depth of embedment of said chamber-defining container means within a body of earth.

2. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said waterflow-controlling and valve means also is effectively responsive to positive pressure variation of the interior of said chamber-defining container means, relative to the pressure at which initiation of said waterflow on-cycle occurs, to terminate said waterflow on-cycle and to correspondingly initiate a corresponding waterflow off-cycle at a predetermined high pressure of the interior of said chamber-defining container means.

3. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said waterflow-controlling and valve means comprises main waterflow-controlling valve means and servo means operatively controlling same and effectively coupled with respect to said interior of said chamber-defining container means, said servo means being effectively responsive to negative pressure variations applied thereto from the interior of said chamber-defining container means and of a predetermined magnitude to initiate a waterflow on-cycle when said pressure reaches a predetermined low pressure less than that corresponding to the pressure present within said interior of said chamber-defining container means when virtually no water passes through said water-permeable porous wall.

4. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said servo means is also so connected with respect to the interior of said chamber-defining container means as to be effectively responsive to positive pressure variations of a predetermined magnitude to initiate a waterflow off-cycle when said pressure within the interior of said chamber-defining container means reaches a high predetermined pressure substantially corresponding to an initial normal starting condition of said waterflow-controlling and valve means when virtually no water passes through said water-permeable porous wall.

5. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a water-holding porous medium contiguous to and in water-transmissive relationship with respect to at least a portion of said porous wall.

6. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a water-holding porous medium contiguous to and in water-transmissive relationship with respect to at least a portion of said porous wall.

7. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 3, including a water-holding porous medium contiguous to and in water-transmissive relationship with respect to at least a portion of said porous wall.

8. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 4, including a water-holding porous medium contiguous to and in water-transmissive relationship with respect to at least a portion of said porous wall.

9. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said porous medium comprises a porous, granular body of earth which is adapted to be controllably irrigated said porous medium will result in the corresponding transmission of water from the interior of said chamber-defining container means into said porous medium and the consequent reduction of interior pressure within said chamber-defining container means to said predetermined low pressure and the consequent initiation of said waterflow on-cycle until said porous medium becomes sufficiently saturated with water to cause a reverse transmission of water through said porous wall of said chamber-defining container means into the interior thereof, resulting in the interior pressure rising above said predetermined low pressure and consequently causing the cessation of said waterflow on-cycle and the initiation of a waterflow off-cycle.

10. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said porous medium comprises an intermediate water-holding, water-transmissive, porous medium and an outer, porous medium taking the form of a porous, granular body of earth which is adapted to be controllably irrigated by the apparatus whereby to provide an arrangement such that progressive drying of the body of earth comprising said outer porous medium will result in the corresponding transmission of water from the interior of said chamber-defining container means into said porous medium and the consequent reduction of interior pressure within said chamber-defining container means to said predetermined low pressure and the consequent initiation of said waterflow on-cycle until said porous medium becomes sufficiently saturated with water to cause a reverse transmission of water through said porous wall of said chamber-defining container means into the interior thereof, resulting in the interior pressure rising above said predetermined low pressure and consequently causing the cessation of said waterflow on-cycle and the initiation of a waterflow off-cycle.

11. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 10, including controllably adjustable means cooperable with respect to said intermediate, porous medium for controllably adjusting the effective water transmission capability thereof.

12. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 10, including controllably adjustable means cooperable with respect to said intermediate, porous medium for controllably adjusting the average effective porosity thereof and consequently the effective lateral water transmission capability thereof.

13. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said porous medium comprises a porous, granular body of earth which is adapted to be controllably irrigated by the apparatus whereby to provide an arrangement such that progressive drying of the body of earth comprising said porous medium will result in the corresponding transmission of water from the interior of said chamber-defining container means into said porous medium and the consequent reduction of interior pressure within said chamber-defining container means to said predetermined low pressure and the consequent initiation of said waterflow on-cycle until said porous medium becomes sufficiently saturated with water to cause a reverse transmission of water through said porous wall of said chamber-defining container means into the interior thereof, resulting in the interior pressure rising above said predetermined low pressure and consequently causing the cessation of said waterflow on-cycle and the initiation of a waterflow off-cycle.

14. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said porous medium comprises a porous, granular body of earth which is adapted to be controllably irrigated by the apparatus whereby to provide an arrangement such that progressive drying of the body of earth comprising said porous medium will result in the corresponding transmission of water from the interior of said chamber-defining container means into said porous medium and the consequent reduction oF interior pressure within said chamber-defining container means to said predetermined low pressure and the consequent initiation of said waterflow on-cycle until said porous medium becomes sufficiently saturated with water to cause a reverse transmission of water through said porous wall of said chamber-defining container means into the interior thereof, resulting in the interior pressure rising above said predetermined low pressure and consequently causing the cessation of said waterflow on-cycle and the initiation of a waterflow off-cycle.

15. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said porous medium comprises a porous, granular body of earth which is adapted to be controllably irrigated by the apparatus whereby to provide an arrangement such that progressive drying of the body of earth comprising electrically energizable servomotor means, main water valve means effectively operable by said servomotor means, and electrical energy supply means electrically connectable with respect to said servomotor means.

16. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a water-holding, porous medium comprising said body of earth in which the chamber-defining container means is embedded, which is contiguous to and in effective water-transmissive relationship with respect to a portion of said porous wall of said chamber-defining container means.

17. Waterflow-controlling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said waterflow-controlling means comprises differential-pressure-operated electrical switch means, by the apparatus whereby to provide an arrangement such that progressive drying of the body of earth comprising said porous medium will result in the corresponding transmission of water from the interior of said chamber-defining container means into said porous medium and the consequent reduction of interior pressure within said chamber-defining container means to said predetermined low pressure and the consequent initiation of said waterflow on-cycle until said porous medium becomes sufficiently saturated with water to cause a reverse transmission of water through said porous wall of said chamber-defining container means into the interior thereof, resulting in the interior pressure rising above said predetermined low pressure and consequently causing the cessation of said waterflow on-cycle and the initiation of a waterflow off-cycle.

18. Waterflow-controlling apparatus for an automatic irrigation system, comprising:

moisture-sensing means adapted to be positioned in a porous medium for sensing the water content thereof, said moisture-sensing means taking the form of a hollow, sealed, chamber-defining container means having at least a portion thereof provided with a water-permeable porous wall and being adapted to be filled with water, said chamber-defining container means tending, upon the passage of a portion of water adapted to be contained therein, through said water-permeable porous wall, to create within the interior of said chamber-defining container means a vacuum or a pressure less than an initial pressure corresponding to an initial degree of water content of a porous medium adapted to surround said moisture-sensing means, said water-permeable wall being adapted to be placed in effective water transmission relationship with respect to, and embedded at a selected depth within a porous medium which is adapted to be controllably irrigated by the apparatus; and

waterflow-controlling and valve means effectively coupled with respect to the interior of said chamber-defining container means and effectively responsive to negative pressure variations therein of a predetermined magnitude to initiate a waterflow on-cycle at a predetermined low pressure of the interior of said chamber-defining container means;

said waterflow-controlling means comprising differential-pressure-operated electrical switch means, electrically energizable servomotor means, main water valve means effectively operable by said servomotor means, electrical enErgy supply means, taking the form of electrical energy storage means electrically connectable with respect to said servomotor means and waterflow-powered electrical generating means electrically coupleable with respect to said electrical energy supply means for periodically storing electrical energy in said electrical energy supply means during periods of waterflow when said on-cycle has been initiated in excess of the amount of electrical energy required to operate said servomotor means to periodically initiate said on-cycle and said off-cycle at repetition rates less than a predetermined average normal frequency.