Intelligent sensor for irrigation management

• US 8,108,077 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signature Control Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Signature Control Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Brian J., Schafer, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sivanesan, Sivalingam
• Application Number:
  US12/149,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 700/284, 239/69, 239/70
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• 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

Abstract

An intelligent sensor includes an irrigation related data sensor for sensing irrigation related data and a network processor coupled to the irrigation related data sensor for receiving the irrigation data. The intelligent sensor also includes an interface coupled to the network processor for coupling the intelligent sensor to a communication bus of a peer-to-peer distributed network. The intelligent sensor also includes a memory including instructions for configuring the processor to generate a broadcast message including the irrigation related data. The interface transmits the broadcast message to a destination node coupled to the peer-to-peer distributed network via the communication bus. The destination node can be satellite field irrigation controllers or a control device.

Claims

1. An intelligent sensor device comprising:

an irrigation sensor configured to sense analog irrigation information and generate digital irrigation related data therefrom;

an interface configured to mutually transmit and receive communications directly, without routing through a central computer, to irrigation satellite controllers in a peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite controller network over a communication bus of the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite controller network;

an internal inter-integrated-chip (Inter-IC) communication bus entirely internal to the intelligent sensor device and coupled to the irrigation sensor to receive digital irrigation related data therefrom;

a processor coupled to the interface, the processor is coupled to the irrigation sensor by the internal Inter-IC communication bus and obtains the digital irrigation related data from the irrigation sensor over the Inter-IC communication bus; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions for configuring the processor to transmit a message including the irrigation related data over the interface via the communication bus of the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite controller network to a destination node coupled to the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite controller network.

2. The intelligent sensor of claim 1, wherein the message includes a source address of the intelligent sensor and a destination address indicative of the destination node.

3. The intelligent sensor of claim 1, wherein the interface is further for receiving a configuration message including operation parameters, and the processor is configured to generate the message in accordance with the operation parameters, wherein the operation parameters include a schedule for acquiring the irrigation related data from the irrigation sensor and generating the message.

4. The intelligent sensor of claim 1, wherein the irrigation related data includes data representative of one of soil moisture, soil conductivity, soil temperature, wetted front data and soil salinity.

5. The intelligent sensor of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store a historical log of the soil related data from the irrigation sensor in the memory.

6. The intelligent sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the interface is further for receiving a data write message from another destination node specifying data to be written into the memory via the communication bus, wherein the processor is further configured to write the data specified in the data write message in the memory; and

the interface is further for receiving a data read message from the another destination node specifying data to be read from the memory via the communication bus, wherein the processor is further configured to read the data specified in the data read message from the memory.

7. The intelligent sensor of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an acknowledgement message including the data specified in the data read message, wherein the interface transmits the acknowledgement message to the another destination node via the communication bus.

8. The intelligent sensor of claim 1,

wherein the processor is configured to operate in a main mode for generating the message including the soil related data and a bootloader mode for uploading or downloading an application,

wherein the interface is further for receiving a bootloader mode message from another destination node via the communication bus and the processor is configured to operate in the bootloader mode in response to the bootloader mode message,

wherein the interface is further for receiving an update file including the application from the another destination node, and the processor is configured to store the application in the memory.

9. The intelligent sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the interface receives a control message from a control device or an irrigation satellite field controller coupled to the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network via the communication bus, the control message including operation parameters, and the processor is configured to generate the message in accordance with the operation parameters, wherein the operation parameters include a schedule for acquiring the irrigation related data from the irrigation sensor and generating the message; and

the destination node is the control device or the irrigation satellite field controller.

10. An irrigation satellite field controller configured to be operatively coupled to one or more valves of an irrigation system, comprising:

a first interface configured to mutually transmit and receive communications directly, without routing through a central computer, to irrigation satellite controllers in a peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite controller network over a communication bus of the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network;

a first processor coupled to the first interface; and

a memory coupled to the first processor, the memory including instructions for configuring the first processor to generate a control message requesting irrigation related data uniquely addressed to an intelligent sensor coupled to the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network,

wherein the first interface transmits the control message to the intelligent sensor, and receives a broadcast message including a source address of the intelligent sensor and the irrigation related data in response to the control message via the communication bus,

wherein the intelligent sensor device includes at least;

an internal inter-integrated-chip (Inter-IC) communication bus entirely internal to the intelligent sensor device and coupled to an irrigation sensor to receive digital irrigation related data therefrom; and

a second processor coupled to a second interface, the second processor is coupled to the irrigation sensor by the internal Inter-IC communication bus and obtains the digital irrigation related data from the irrigation sensor over the Inter-IC communication bus.

11. The irrigation satellite field controller of claim 10, wherein the first processor is further configured to operate the one or more valves in accordance with the broadcast message.

12. The irrigation satellite field controller of claim 10, wherein the first processor is further configured to generate a sensor control message specifying a schedule for acquiring irrigation related data and generating a broadcast message including the irrigation related data, and the first interface transmits the sensor control message to the intelligent sensor.

13. The irrigation satellite field controller of claim 10, wherein the first interface receives an irrigation control message from a control device coupled to the communication bus of a peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network, wherein the first processor is further configured to operate the one or more valves in accordance with the irrigation control message, wherein the irrigation control message specifies an irrigation schedule.

14. A control device for an irrigation management system comprising:

a first interface operable to transmit and receive communications directly, without routing through a central computer, to irrigation satellite controllers in a peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite controller network over a communication bus of the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network;

a first processor coupled to the first interface; and

a memory coupled to the first processor, the memory including instructions for configuring the first processor to generate a sensor control message requesting irrigation related data uniquely addressed to an intelligent sensor coupled to the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network; and

wherein the first interface transmits the sensor control message to the intelligent sensor via the communication bus of the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network,

wherein the intelligent sensor device includes at least;

an internal inter-integrated-chip (Inter-IC) communication bus entirely internal to the intelligent sensor device and coupled to an irrigation sensor to receive digital irrigation related data therefrom; and

a second processor coupled to a second interface, the second processor is coupled to the irrigation sensor by the internal Inter-IC communication bus and obtains the digital irrigation related data from the irrigation sensor over the Inter-IC communication bus.

15. The control device of claim 14, wherein the first processor is further configured to generate an irrigation control message specifying an irrigation schedule for an irrigation controller coupled to the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network, wherein the first interface transmits the irrigation control message to the irrigation controller via the communication bus of the peer-to-peer distributed irrigation satellite network.

16. The control device of claim 15, wherein the first interface receives a broadcast message from the intelligent sensor including irrigation related data, wherein the first processor is further configured to generate the irrigation control message in accordance with the irrigation related data, wherein the sensor control message further specifies a schedule for acquiring the irrigation related data and generating a broadcast message including the irrigation related data.

17. The control device of claim 14, wherein the first processor is further configured to generate a data read message specifying data to be read from a memory of the intelligent sensor.

18. The control device of claim 14, wherein the first processor is further configured to generate a bootloader mode message for configuring the intelligent sensor to operate in a bootloader mode.

19. The control device of claim 14, wherein the first processor is further configured to generate a data write message specifying data to be written into a memory of the intelligent sensor.

20. The control device of claim 19, wherein the data of the data write message includes an update file including an application, and the first interface transmits the data write message to the intelligent sensor.