Irrigation system and method

• US 9,167,757 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamann, Hendrik F., Klein, Levente L., Rodriguez, Sergio A. Bermudez, Schappert, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jonaitis, Justin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barrera, Juan C
• Application Number:
  US13/792,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20140252113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 239/67, 239/68, 239/69, 239/70, 239/542, 239/563, 239200-210
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/02 Watering arrangements located above the soil which make use of perforated pipe-lines or pipe-lines with dispensing fittings, e.g. for drip irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/162 Sequential operation
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/04 for sequential operation or multiple outlets

Abstract

An irrigation system is provided and includes a main irrigation line, one or more lateral driplines, each lateral dripline being divided into zones and including a plurality of emitters at each zone and a plurality of controllable valves disposed along each of the one or more lateral driplines at zone borders. Each one of the plurality of controllable valves is actuatable to activate corresponding emitters in the associated zone in a zone by zone cycle and each one of the plurality of emitters is replaceable to vary an amount of deliverable fluid by the zone by zone cycle.

Claims

1. An irrigation system, comprising:

a main irrigation line;

lateral driplines, each of the lateral driplines being divided into multiple zones along a respective length thereof and including a plurality of emitters at each of the multiple zones; and

a plurality of controllable valves disposed remotely from the emitters along each of the respective lengths of each of the lateral driplines at zone borders between each of the multiple zones such that each plurality of emitters at each of the multiple zones is disposed non-inclusively between sequential controllable valves,

each one of the plurality of controllable valves on each of the lateral driplines being actuatable to activate corresponding emitters in the associated zone in a zone by zone cycle and each one of the plurality of emitters being replaceable to vary an amount of deliverable fluid by the zone by zone cycle.

2. The irrigation system according to claim 1, wherein each one of the controllable valves comprises a solenoid valve.

3. The irrigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a control station configured to selectively actuate each one of the controllable valves.

4. The irrigation system according to claim 1, wherein multiple lateral driplines are associated with same zones.

5. The irrigation system according to claim 1, wherein each emitter in each zone has a same emission rate.

6. The irrigation system according to claim 1, wherein the emitters in zones remote from the main irrigation line have higher emission rates than emitters in zones proximate to the main irrigation line.

7. The irrigation system according to claim 6, wherein the emitters in the zones remote from the main irrigation line are activated for a shorter time than the emitters in the zones proximate to the main irrigation line.

8. An irrigation system, comprising:

a main irrigation line;

lateral driplines, each of the lateral driplines being divided into multiple zones along a respective length thereof and including a plurality of emitters at each of the multiple zones; and

a plurality of controllable valves disposed remotely from the emitters along the respective length of each of the lateral driplines at zone borders between each of the multiple zones such that each plurality of emitters at each of the multiple zones is disposed non-inclusively between sequential controllable valves,

each one of the plurality of controllable valves of each of the lateral driplines being actuatable to activate corresponding emitters in the associated zone in a zone by zone cycle, and

each one of the plurality of emitters at each zone being replaceable by another emitter with a different emission rate such that a variable amount of water can be delivered to by the zone by zone cycle.

9. The irrigation system according to claim 8, wherein each one of the controllable valves comprises a solenoid valve.

10. The irrigation system according to claim 8, further comprising a control station configured to selectively actuate each one of the controllable valves.

11. The irrigation system according to claim 8, wherein multiple lateral driplines are associated with same zones.

12. The irrigation system according to claim 8, wherein each emitter in each zone has a same emission rate.