Method and system for soil and water resources

• US 8,308,077 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Green Badge, LLC
• Original Assignee: Green Badge, LLC
• Inventors: Campbell, Jeffrey, Sohrabi, Kathy, Karmel, Clayton R., Magro, Carmen
• Primary Examiner(s): HWU, DAVIS D
• Application Number:
  US12/697,254
• Time in Patent Office: 1,017 Days
• Field of Search: 239/11, 239/63, 239/64, 239/67, 239/69, 239/569, 239/578, 239/DIG.15, 239/70, 137/78.2, 137/78.3
• 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: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring soil and water resources is disclosed herein. Sensors capable of monitoring soil temperature, moisture and salinity are utilized with other sensors capable of monitoring such values as air temperature in order to provide real-time parameters to users/operators of land area.

Claims

1. A method for controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

irrigating a soil area with water during an irrigation event utilizing a plurality of valves, each of the plurality of valves in flow communication with a water source and a sprinkler;

monitoring a moisture content of the soil area utilizing a sensor for each of the plurality of valves, the sensor corresponding to an interrupt for each of the valves, wherein monitoring the moisture content of the soil area is performed every six hours;

determining if the soil moisture content value exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

limiting the irrigation event if the soil moisture content value exceeds the predetermined threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the interrupt limits the irrigation event by reducing the amount of water flowing through a corresponding valve of the plurality of valves.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the interrupt limits the irrigation event by stopping the amount of water flowing through a corresponding valve of the plurality of valves.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein irrigation event is a daily scheduled irrigation event and limiting the irrigation event is limiting the scheduled irrigation event for a single day.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined threshold is based on a porosity and field capacity of the soil area.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined threshold is dynamically adjusted on a 30-60 days average of readings from the sensor.

7. A method for controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

irrigating a soil area with water during an irrigation event utilizing a plurality of valves, each of the plurality of valves in flow communication with a water source and a sprinkler, each of the plurality of valves corresponding to a sensor, the sensor comprising a probe conducting structure to be placed in the soil to form a capacitor, a circuit comprising a high frequency oscillator for applying an electrical stimulus to the probe structure, a reference capacitor connected in series to the high frequency oscillator, and a voltage meter located between the high frequency oscillator and the reference capacitor;

measuring an output voltage from a voltage meter when the high frequency oscillator is active;

calculating a capacitance of the soil as a function of voltage to obtain a soil moisture content value;

determining if the soil moisture content value exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

limiting the irrigation event if the soil moisture content value exceeds the predetermined threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein an interrupt limits the irrigation event by reducing the amount of water flowing through each of the plurality of valves.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein an interrupt limits the irrigation event by stopping the amount of water flowing through each of the plurality of valves.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the irrigation event is a daily scheduled irrigation event and limiting the irrigation event is limiting the scheduled irrigation event for a single day.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein monitoring a moisture content of the soil area is performed every six hours.

12. The method according to claim 7 wherein the predetermined threshold is based on a porosity and field capacity of the soil area.

13. The method according to claim 7 wherein the predetermined threshold is dynamically adjusted on a 30-60 days average of readings from the sensor.

14. A system for controlling irrigation, the system comprising:

a water source;

a plurality of valves, each of the plurality of valves in flow communication with the water source and a sprinkler, each of the plurality of valves corresponding to a sub-area of a plurality of sub-areas of a soil area;

a plurality of sub-surface sensors, each of the plurality of sub-surface sensors corresponding to a sub-area of a plurality of sub-areas of a soil area, each of the plurality of sub-surface sensors corresponding to a valve of the plurality of valves, each of the plurality of sub-surface sensors having a power source and a probe structure for measuring a moisture content of the corresponding sub-area of the plurality of sub-areas, wherein the probe conducting structure is placed in the soil to form a capacitor, a circuit comprising a high frequency oscillator for applying a electrical stimulus to the probe structure, a reference capacitor connected in series to the high frequency oscillator, and a voltage meter located between the high frequency oscillator and the reference capacitor; and

a plurality of interrupters, each of the plurality of interrupters corresponding to a valve of the plurality of valves, wherein each interrupter is in communication with a sub-surface sensor and wherein a signal indicating a value exceeding a predetermined moisture threshold for a sub-area monitored by a sub-surface sensor limits an irrigation event for the sub-area.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of sub-surface sensors is connected by a wire to a corresponding interrupter.

16. The system according to claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of subsurface sensors is configured to measure a moisture content of a corresponding sub-area of a plurality of sub-areas of the soil area every six hours.

17. The system according to claim 14 the irrigation event is a daily scheduled irrigation event and limiting the irrigation event is limiting the scheduled irrigation event for a single day.

18. The system according to claim 14 wherein interrupt limits the irrigation event by reducing the amount of water flowing through each of the plurality of valves.