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Soil moisture probe and system with temperature adjustment

  • US 9,949,450 B2
  • Filed: 10/23/2015
  • Issued: 04/24/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for controlling irrigation, comprising:

  • a plurality of wireless transmitters coupled to a plurality of stand-alone soil moisture probes, wherein a single wireless transmitter is coupled to a single probe by a length of cable, and wherein each of the probes corresponds to a separate irrigation zone, said probe comprising;

    first and second elongate conductive materials encapsulated in a non-conductive substrate, said first and second elongate materials coupled to a power source and configured to be placed in the soil to form a capacitor;

    third and fourth elongate conductive materials encapsulated in the non-conductive substrate, said third and fourth elongate materials being conductively isolated from the first and second elongate conductive materials, coupled to a power source and configured to be placed in the soil to form a capacitor;

    a soil moisture circuit encapsulated in the non-conductive substrate coupled to the power source, said circuit having an oscillator for applying an electrical stimulus to the first and second elongate conductive materials and to the third and fourth elongate materials; and

    a ground conductive material in direct electrical contact with the soil disposed between the first and second elongate conductive materials, said ground conductive material being coupled to the soil moisture circuit and conductively isolated from the first and second elongate conductive materials;

    wherein the non-conductive substrate comprises a printed circuit board having a head and three coplanar prongs extending downward from the head, the first and second prongs extending downward from opposing sides of the head and the third prong extending downward between the first and second prongs, and wherein the first and third conductive materials are disposed within the first prong and the second and fourth conductive materials are disposed within the second prong, and wherein the ground conductive material is disposed on an outer surface of the third prong;

    an irrigation control box operatively coupled to a plurality of irrigation valves, wherein each of said irrigation valves corresponds to separate irrigation zones, and wherein said irrigation control box is configured to control the irrigation valves based on an upper and a lower soil moisture threshold value and comprises a receiver configured to receive a wireless data signal from the plurality of transmitters;

    wherein the irrigation control box is configured to receive a signal corresponding to an ambient temperature within an irrigation zone, and upon detecting that the ambient air temperature exceeds a threshold level, the irrigation control box is configured to modify the upper and lower soil moisture threshold values.

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