Self-contained ecological watering system

• US 6,312,191 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bernardo Raul Rosenfeld
• Original Assignee: Bernardo Raul Rosenfeld
• Inventors: Rosenfeld, Bernardo Raul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAGMAN, FREDERICK LYNDON
• Application Number:
  US09/424,461
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 405/36, 405/37, 405/39, 405/40, 405/41, 405/43, 405/44, 405/45, 405/51, 137/78.3, 137/78.1, 137/142, 137/145, 239/67, 239/69, 239/63, 239/303, 239/550, 239/562, 239/565, 239/DIG.15
• US Class Current: 405/37
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/12 using renewable energies, e.g. solar water pumping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/189 Soil moisture sensing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2842 With flow starting, stopping or maintaining means

Abstract

Self-contained ecological watering system, protected against obturations, and capable of irrigating at low cost uniformly and regularly a variety of cultivated areas; the system operates automatically a series of fertirrigation cycles requiring minimum actuation power and reduced water flow rate. The system permits implementation of various configuration including a plurality of local subsystems (1) which are controllable locally or from a remote station (6); each subsystem comprises a container (2) capable of accumulating the volume of liquid to be discharged per cycle, a watering assembly (3) capable of regulating the watering volume and discharging it upon receiving a low power signal; a low consumption electronic control unit (4) capable of determining the frequency and the appropriate time to send said signal; and a low restriction distribution network (5) capable of transporting the water to irrigate the locations in need.

Claims

1. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system capable to produce repeated cycles of uniform located irrigation into a cultivated area, of the type comprising a plurality of local subsystems (1) assisting generally different and physically apart cultivated areas;

said local subsystems being linked with a central station (6) to receive remote control;

said central station comprising codifying, adressing and transmitter circuits capable to send remote control orders with sufficient energy to be received by the adressed local subsystems (1);

characterized in that each one of said local subsystems (1) comprises a liquid container (2) with enough capacity to contain at least the total water volume to be irrigated during one cycle, being the container (2) hydraulically joined from its bottom zone with a positionable watering actuator assembly (3);

said positionable watering actuator assembly (3) being by one side electrically connected to receive control signals, with a watering command assembly (4) capable to determine the characteristics of the watering cycle and command their execution; and

being by the other side hydraulically joined to feed a low friction losses watering distribution network (5), capable to subdivide uniformly the discharged volume of liquid and emitting it in located points into the cultivation area;

said positionable watering actuator assembly (3) comprising a recipient hermetically closed by a top cover;

said recipient including a first filling controller subset (16) driven by the relief of pressurized air, able to controllably limit the irrigation water entrance to the recipient from an external source;

a second discharge actuator subset (24) providing at least one dimensionally defined threshold level of controlled triggerable discharge driven by the relief of pressurized air;

being said discharge actuator subset (24) able to transit abruptly fiom a closing state to another of full open passage with low friction losses, if being surpassed said threshold by the current level of the liquid;

both first and second subsets being fixedly height positioned one relative to the other, in funtion of the desired relationship among the designed filling and discharge threshold levels already mentioned;

said positionable watering actuator assembly also comprising externally fixed to the top cover of said recipient, at least one trigger discharge device (44) able to relieved pressurized air, connected to control at least one of the above mentioned subsets;

said trigger discharge device (44) presenting meanss of electrical connection to receive from said watering command assembly (4), impulsive activating signals for change of state;

said positionable watering actuator assembly (3), at last comprising a mechanism for vertical positioning of itself in reference to the desired level of filling of the mentioned container (2).

2. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system as claimed in 1, characterized in that the mentioned filling controller subset (16) comprises a first device (17) of input flow regulator;

a second device (18) of controlled filling level regulator comprising a shut-off valve activated by a controllable floating device;

said controllable floating device including at least one bottom opened air trapping camera, being said camera top provided with a pneumatic air reliefing connection;

said pneumatic air reliefing connection emerging from the recipient through its top cover, being able to be optionally sealed or connected with the trigger discharge device (44) former mentioned to control the filling level of the container (2);

the mentioned recipient also presenting at its bottom zone a capacity expansion shuttable connector, able to fix a flexible conduit of adequate section to conduct with low hiydraulical losses the discharge flow coming from the mentioned container (2);

being additionally fixed in said top cover an unidirectional pneumatic valve (46) optionally set in a permanent shut state, capable to retain a partial pneumatic depression produced during the discharge process inside the recipient;

further presenting fixed in said top cover the emergent connection of at least one aspiration conduit able to admit the incorporation of liquid agrochemical additives, being the opposite end of said aspiration conduit connected with depression activated doser means.

3. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system as claimed in 2, characterized in that said device (17) of input flow regulator comprises a liquid doser mean electrically adjustable by electric signals, this signals being provided by the watering command assembly (4) previously mentioned.

4. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system as claimed in 1, characterized in that the mentioned discharge actuator subset (24) comprises a hydro-pneumatic siphon device (25) comprising three hydraulically consecutive parts, being:

a first ascending part called input sector, a second intermediate part (30) called elbow sector, and a third descending part called discharge sector;

presenting connected in series wit said ascending part a device (28) provider of a supplementary input threshold (UT);

being said elbow sector (30) a hydraulic device able to invert the ascending sense of the liquid circulation through a progressive section transition providing laminar flow and precise definition of an irreversible triggering transition level to discharge, called threshold to basic spontaneous discharge (UDB);

being said third descending part connected with a hydraulic device (29) provider of a supplementary discharge threshold (UD);

the whole hydropneumatic siphon device (25) presenting a precisely defined global spontaneous discharge threshold level (UDG), equivalent to the sum of said threshold to basic spontaneous discharge, added with both two mentioned supplementary thresholds (UDG=UDB+UT+UD);

said hydropneumatic siphon device (25) comprising at least one pressurized air camera (31) sustaining without discharge the pressure generated by a liquid level into the recipient of a value between the former mentioned thresholds of basic (UDB) and global (UDG) spontaneous discharge levels;

said pressurized air camera (31) presenting in its top zone a pneumatic control connection, able to allow the evacuation of the trapped air to trigger the hydraulic discharge process through said siphon device (25) and discharge conduit (35).

5. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system as claimed in 1, characterized in that said trigger discharge device (44) by relief of pressurized air comprises at least a pneumatic bistable electro-valve (45), able to evacuate said trapped pressurized air while staying at a self-retained open state, from said filling controller and discharge actuator subsets in order to execute its control;

said electro-valve (45) comprising a pneumatic circuit including an unidirectional pneumatic valve optionally disabled; and

at least a magnetic loop circuit energized by a high inductance solenoid winding able to be electrically activated by a suitable current pulse provided by the watering command assembly (4) already mentioned;

said magnetic loop circuit closing partially through a mobile magnetic nucleus as it moves limitedly when forced by a magnetic field;

said magnetic field being established by the circulation of a brief electric current pulse through the above mentioned solenoid winding;

being included in said magnetic loop circuit at least a retention mean of the mentioned mobile nucleus in its open position, still in absence of the activating current;

said mobile magnetic nucleus including at least a resilient seal mean able to controlably close the passage of pressurized air through the former mentioned pneumatic circuit.

6. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system as claimed in 1, characterized in that the already mentioned waterig command assembly (4) comprises an electronic command module (70) with low electrical power consumption, capable to process informaion to determine the parameters of the watering cycle and at the proper time emit activating low energy control signals to execute it;

said electronic command module (70) comprising a water tight sealed cabinet, housing at least a first circuit for attending local controls;

a second circuit decoder of remote control signals;

a third circuit conditioner of sensors and a fourth real time clock circuit backed by an independent power source;

the four circuits mentioned being connected to provide information signals to a fifth circuit of logical processor;

this circuit of logical processor being bidirectionally connected with a sixth circuit of permanent memory container of an operative program;

said four circuits being also connected with a seventh circuit of recitable memory, which in turn includes an eighth circuit of non-volatile removable memory chip;

said circuit of logical processor being connected with a ninth interface power output circuit to exit impulsive watering control signals;

said interface including a servo-mechanism control circuit capable to adjustably command the vertical positioning of the positionable watering actuator assembly previously mentioned;

the above circuits being implemented by means of minimum power consumption electronic technology and energized by a tenth power circuit connected to receive electric power from an external autonomous power source (76) requiring low maintenance, comprising a mean of photovoltaic converter (97) dimensioned with enough capacity to assure the autonomous operation of the mentioned watering command assembly (94) yet in the most unfavorable case of solar condition;

said tenth power circuit being also connected to a mean of rechargeable electric accumulator (83), dimensioned to guarantee the autonomous operation of the watering command assembly during an sufficient long period of time in the event of temporary reduction of energy provision by said external autonomous power source (76);

presenting the sealed cabinet before noted a plurality of connection means with external circuits;

said external circuits comprising at least means of local control, a remote control receiving circuit, and a plurality of sensor means capable to acquire feedback information originated at the cultivation, at the environment or at the watering process itself;

being output control signal connection means of said low power command module also connected to the positionable watering actuator assembly (3) former mentioned.

7. A self-sustained ecological irrigation system as claimed in 1, characterized in that said watering distribution network (5) comprises in first place a discharge flow regulating valve (100), continued for at least one primary feeding branch (101), which in turn is connected with a plurality of derived secondary peripheral emiting branches (102);

said secondary feeding branches having practiced a plurality of emitter holes (103) of a significative bigger size than the biggest particles present in the irrigation water;

being said holes still enough sized to allow the quick evacuation toward the cultivation of the located portion of the discharged volume;

being the hydraulic restriction exercised by said emitter holes (103) significantly larger than that of the the above mentioned secondary peripheral emitting branches;

having inserted each one of said holes, terminal watering emitter means (104) presenting generally smaller hydraulic restriction than that of the mentioned emitter holes.