AU2021100323A4 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IoT BASED IRRIGATION UTILIZING MOISTURE AND HUMIDITY SENSORS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a water monitoring and regulating system based on loT for an irrigation system, responsive to user programmed information, comprising a) A plurality of sensors for measuring the conditions of the soil and environment of an irrigation field, comprising at least one of (i) moisture sensor for determining the percentage of water content in the soil and (ii) a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor for determining the water content in the atmosphere and the surrounding temperature conditions; b) A processing system for receiving information from said plurality of sensors and correspondingly activating the subsequent systems with the irrigation system; c) A switch and relay system for conveying the control signals from the processing system to the irrigation system via the loT based GUI interface, for either permitting or prohibiting watering by the irrigation system, responsive to the control signals generated by and received from the processing system. d) An irrigation system for supplying the water based on the control signals from the processing system and the plurality of sensors. The invention also provides a GUI for the farmer to monitor and update the irrigational system condition comprising a system login for notifying the conditions of the temperature, humidity and moisture content in the area to be irrigated and also notifies the status of the irrigation system and the system further includes a GUI for the administrator to periodically update the status of the multiple motors installed at plurality of locations and the status of the field conditions for all of the registered farmers. 1

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR loT BASED IRRIGATION UTILIZING MOISTURE AND HUMIDITY SENSORS

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to water conservation in irrigation management and more particularly concerns a system which conserves water and energy by providing a monitoring, regulating loT system and a GUI which is responsive to user programmed information for the farmer for efficient irrigation to growing plants.

Background and prior art of the Invention

The most basic form of present irrigation control involves a decision by a human to begin or discontinue application of irrigation water. The effects of under-irrigation are obvious in that plant condition suffers; however, in many cases over irrigation does not cause apparent harm to the plants. In such a case, the major harm caused by over irrigation is the waste of irrigation water and the energy required for its distribution. Additionally, however, there may be subtle but significant impairment of plant growth.

Automatic irrigation systems such as those employed for landscape and agricultural watering are well known in the art. Typical irrigation systems use a means of controlling the watering cycles via an automatic controller. The need to control watering cycles due to environmental conditions is important for saving costs and preventing unsafe conditions. Watering cycle controls must be responsive to precipitation, high wind and extreme hot temperature situations. The usual means of suspending an automatic watering cycle in an irrigation system is by an operator manually cancelling a cycle at an irrigation controller. At most times this proves to be unreliable and inconvenient due to inconsistencies by the operator. Often an operator ignores the need to suspend the watering cycle, and/or neglects to resume the watering cycle when required. This leads to over-watering and under-watering of the landscaping.

Rain sensors for irrigation systems are an effective and economical method of conserving water, energy, and costs. One such rain sensor for an irrigation system is described in U.S. 6,452,499, which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent shows an easy to install rain sensor which wirelessly transmits rain sensor data to an irrigation system. The data is wirelessly received at a control mechanism and affects the operation of the irrigation controller as desired.

One drawback of currently available rain sensors is the inability to effectively change the control parameters for choosing the environmental conditions for allowing or suspending watering by the irrigation system. Existing systems have some major disadvantages in that typical rain sensors are factory pre-set for the environmental conditions for allowing or suspending watering by the irrigation system or are only adjustable at the remote sensing location. Known weather sensors interface with an irrigation controller to prevent or resume watering dependent upon local weather conditions such as rain, temperature, and wind conditions. For example, a rain and freeze sensor would communicate to the irrigation controller and prevent watering of lawns and landscape when it is raining, has rained recently or the temperature is too low.

However, once installed and adjusted, rain sensors do not allow for parameter adjustments to be made by an individual at the irrigation controller. Also, existing systems are not able to interpret the input received from the sensor. Typically the sensor either makes or breaks an electrical circuit and thereby prevents the irrigation controller from watering by either breaking a connection to a common solenoid, valve or wire or by connecting to special sensor inputs on the controller. The extent by which existing systems can be controlled is limited to sensitivity adjustments of the sensor unit such as for the amount of accumulated rainfall required to trip the sensor. Also, typically, weather sensors are mounted where they are exposed to the elements and once mounted are not easily adjusted or manipulated. Hence there is a need for the ability to control a weather sensor from an interface of these sensors or sensor systems with the irrigation controllers to which they are connected.

It would be advantageous for the farmer to be able to have a GUI program for storing the varying environmental and soil conditions for changes to meet seasonal or geographic requirements and based on such conditions determine the amount of water to be supplied.

Summary of the Invention

The invention provides a water monitoring and regulating system based on loT for an irrigation system, responsive to user programmed information, comprising

a) A plurality of sensors for measuring the conditions of the soil and environment of an irrigation field, comprising at least one of (i) moisture sensor for determining the percentage of water content in the soil and (ii) a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor for determining the water content in the atmosphere and the surrounding temperature conditions;

b) A processing system for receiving information from said plurality of sensors and correspondingly activating the subsequent systems with the irrigation system;

c) A switch and relay system for conveying the control signals from the processing system to the irrigation system via the IoT based GUI interface, for either permitting or prohibiting watering by the irrigation system, responsive to the control signals generated by and received from the processing system.

d) An irrigation system for supplying the water based on the control signals from the processing system and the plurality of sensors.

The invention also provides a GUI for the farmer to monitor and update the irrigational system condition comprising a system login for notifying the conditions of the temperature, humidity and moisture content in the area to be irrigated and also notifies the status of the irrigation system and the system further includes a GUI for the administrator to periodically update the status of the multiple motors installed at plurality of locations and the status of the field conditions for all of the registered farmers.

Object of the Invention

It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring and regulating the irrigation of the field and for maintaining the water content in the region surrounding the plants.

It is a secondary objective of the present invention to provide a system comprising a plurality of sensors including a soil moisture determining sensor for periodically sensing the amount of moisture content in the region of interest.

It is a tertiary objective of the present invention to provide a system comprising a plurality of sensors including a soil humidity determining sensor for periodically sensing the amount of humidity content in the region of interest.

It is a fourth objective of the present invention to provide a system comprising a plurality of sensors including a soil temperature determining sensor for periodically sensing the heat and climate, temperature in the region of interest.

It is a fifth objective of the present invention to provide a system comprising a relay based electromagnetic switch for supplying and terminating the power to the irrigation system.

It is a sixth objective of the present invention to provide a system comprising a processing, computing and controlling system for receiving the information from the multiple sensors, process the said data, compute the optimum conditions and finally activate the irrigation system to impart the optimum criterion in the region of interest.

It is a seventh objective of the present invention to provide a system comprising an irrigation system including a motor to be activated by the processing system and for supplying the water to the plants.

It is a final objective of the present invention to provide a method comprising of improving farming and conserving the water usage comprising placing a plurality of sensor hubs in predetermined locations in a farm, each hub including a meteorological data acquisition system and an environmental data collection system; and monitoring key elements in the region of interest from a plurality of sensor hubs including humidity, temp, soil moisture and elements that influence plant growth and that determines the usage of the water quantity.

Detailed description of the invention

The computer systems and related technology permits farming businesses to program the farming equipment to carry out farming operations almost entirely under automated control of software programs that can automatically activate and deactivate the machines, and even particular sections, row units, nozzles or blades on the implement at precisely the right time and place in order to optimize inputs such as seed, pesticide and fertilizer, and thereby achieve greater yields.

Also, the system is able to control irrigation (start and stop pumps, open and close valves, etc.) for those farms where such facilities are available. There is also means (for example GUI) for the system to communicate with the farmer or other human. This capability allows the farmer to obtain reports on the system's operation, to manually override the system's activities (for example, to inhibit irrigation in a field where harvesting is planned); and for those farms where automatic control of pumps or valves is unavailable, to advise the farmer of recommended irrigation schedules.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a monitoring and irrigational water control system is provided for irrigation and climate, temperature and humidity management for landscapes and agricultural environments. The system includes a plurality of sensor network comprising a plurality of sensor for monitoring environmental, climate, moisture, humidity and soil conditions and controlling one or more water control systems and/or irrigation motors and pumps. The system also includes an loT based server computer system located remotely from the irrigation site. The IoT based system is coupled to the central processor over a communications network for receiving data from and controlling operation of the sensor nodes and irrigation system. The IoT based system is also coupled to a GUI operable by the farmers and the system administrators for transmitting the data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-user.

An irrigational water control system in accordance with one or more embodiments and as illustrated in fig.1 can include one or more of the following components:

a. Field hardware

i. Multiple sensors such as soil moisture, humidity sensors, temperature measurement sensor and ambient moisture, temperature and humidity probes

ii. Devices such as water valves and pump motor and control relays

iii. A processing system for receiving the data from the sensors, determining the ambient conditions and operating the irrigational water control system.

iv. An loT interface for co-ordinating with multiple devices

v. Wireless gateway that connects field equipment to a computer server

vi. Wireless and\or wired sensor network firmware that runs on sensor nodes

vii. Computer server located remotely from the irrigation/climate control site

viii. Application running on an end-user device for communicating with the computer server

ix. Web-based application running on the computer server for user interaction and data access

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a method of monitoring and controlling irrigation and/or climate conditions in landscapes and agricultural environments is provided. The method includes communicating with a wireless and\or wired sensor network installed in the irrigation/climate control site over a communications network. The wireless sensor network comprises a plurality of sensor nodes for monitoring environmental, climate, temperature, humidity and soil conditions in the site and controlling irrigational control systems such as solenoid valves and motor pumps. Communicating with the wireless and\or wired sensor network comprises receiving data from and controlling operation of the sensor nodes. The method also includes a step of communicating with a device such as a personal computer operated by an end-user over a communications network for transmitting the data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-user.

The organizational hierarchy of an irrigation system in accordance with one or more embodiments can have multiple levels. For example it can be four levels deep as shown in the exemplary system of fig. 6. In smaller sites, partitioning to such elaborate levels may not be required. A site may be handled by one or more gateway sensor nodes. A zone is handled by one or more sensor nodes. If there is a need to connect sensors or devices to a master zone, such as a master zone water valve, then a sensor node is used for this master zone. Sensors and devices are generally connected to the sensor nodes. However, if needed, additional sensors and devices may also be connected to the gateway node if required.

To compute the irrigation requirements and quantity of water requirements for plants at a given irrigation site (e.g., field or landscape), daily data gathered from onsite wireless and\or wired sensor nodes close to the site can be used in combination with information entered by end-users into the website about crops and other plants. Using these inputs, the system can compute an accurate watering schedule for each zone at the irrigation site and adjust or update each zone's schedule as needed on a daily basis. The wireless and\or wired sensor nodes controlling the irrigation valves can get the updated schedule from the server.

The system compares the measurements from the soil moisture, humidity and climatic condition readings taken from wireless and\or wired sensor nodes to the optimum values stored in the server. If the difference is greater than a given threshold value defined by the end user stored in the server, the processing system operates the irrigational system based on soil moisture probe readings.

In addition, the system can collect actual irrigation information through flow meters or sensors attached to wireless and \ or wired sensor nodes. In this way, the system can compare what is scheduled versus what was actually applied. There may be a difference if the valves are controlled manually and/or if there are problems or leaks in the irrigation system. Based on the actual irrigation amounts, the system can adjust the irrigation schedule going forward, e.g., for the following 7 days.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, operation of any valve in the system may be over ridden by a manual command. Independent of the state of the valve according to the current scheduled irrigation program, it may be forced to turn on or turn off. A valve will stay in this manual over ride position irrespective of the status that is demanded by the irrigation program for that time of day. A manually issued ''resume" command will return control of that valve back to the irrigation program where the valve will be set to the position as scheduled there.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, if a manual command is sent to node to turn a valve on or off, the node sends an acknowledgment to the server about execution and stores the unique ID associated with the control command. If the server does not receive the acknowledgement, it will retry to send the command with the same unique ID. When the node receives it the second time, it will not execute the command but re-acknowledge prior execution of the command to the server.

In one or more embodiments, an emergency override command is available to turn off all the valves in the system. This command may be issued during emergency conditions such as, e.g., an earthquake. After an emergency stop, individual valves may be manually turned on or off or resumed at will. An emergency resume command is also available where control of all valves is returned back to the current irrigation program.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the server performs periodic health checks to see if all sensors are available and alerts users or tries to overcome the problem. A wireless climate monitoring and control system in accordance with one or more embodiments provides significantly improved scalability and reliability because information is transferred from sensor node to node and then to a remote central server computer system, and the wireless sensor network can reconfigure itself dynamically.

Furthermore, in a system in accordance with one or more embodiments, wireless and \ or wired sensor networks are used to collect climate and soil data and to control the irrigation. This system offers numerous advantages including wireless installation, flexibility, and scalability. Since additional sensor units can be easily and cost effectively implemented, it is possible to provide a large number of sensor nodes at a site. Having a greater number of sensor nodes helps provide a better understanding of micro climates as well as soil moisture status, which can vary significantly in a field due to natural variability in the soil. The system accordingly provides improved accuracy on measurements, making micro-climate management possible. Due to micro climatization, growth of small plant groups can be monitored and surrounding conditions can be adjusted accordingly.

In addition, multiple irrigation zones can be irrigated independently based on the sensor readings in the respective zone. Typically, as there may not be enough pressure on the main line, separate irrigation zones will not be irrigated at the same time. The system in accordance with one or more embodiments can perform scheduling of irrigation between zones for optimal irrigation efficiency. The scheduling can be based on a variety of considerations including, e.g., available water pressure and constraints defined by the end user including, e.g., zone prioritization based on crop importance.

A remote wireless monitoring and control system for irrigation in accordance with one or more embodiments includes a distributed control capability. Rather than one central controller or a server managing the irrigation control, distributed wireless sensor and control nodes run software that can execute the control decisions based on predetermined rules or schedule.

In a wireless climate and soil monitoring and control system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, climate parameters (temperature, light, humidity, soil moisture, and leaf wetness etc.) measured by the sensors are stored in a server computer at a remote central location. Management and data storage on a central server as described herein reduces costs for the end users and makes the installation and remote management of the climate monitoring and control system easier. Remote control commands or control condition set values sent through the central server (from a cell phone or any computer on the Internet) are transmitted to wireless sensor nodes in the greenhouse or field, allowing manual and/or automatic control functionality.

In a system in accordance with one or more embodiments, data is transmitted from the sensor network to the main server computer through cellular networks or using broadband communication technology. In this manner, data coming from multiple sensor networks (sites) is consolidated and stored in a central computer server and then monitored/managed remotely through web, cell phone, or text message (SMS) applications.

A system in accordance with one or more embodiments allows monitoring climate conditions (temperature, humidity, light etc.) and controlling climate control systems inside the network by sensor nodes. In addition, it addresses how data collected by multiple sensor networks are stored in a central server and how control commands passing through this server are processed to manage the climate.

In a system in accordance with one or more embodiments, data is transferred from sensor networks to the central server through a cellular network or a wireless broadband communications technology. Data coming from a plurality of sites (local sensor networks) are consolidated and stored in the central computer server. Climate measurements taken are provided to the end users through web, cell phone, and/or text message (SMS, MMS, etc.) applications. Moreover, the system enables remote control commands to be sent to the irrigation site.

In one or more embodiments, climate parameters (temperature, humidity, light, soil moisture and leaf wetness etc.) can be continuously monitored and, for undesired values, automatic preventive actions can be taken before the products are harmed. For example, when flow sensors detect leakage excessive water on a pipeline, actuators can trigger the pump to shut down or main line solenoid valves to cut the water supply.

Also, for any readings beyond pre-defined thresholds, the end user can be notified, e.g., by a short message (SMS, MMS, etc.) to his or her cell phone or via e-mail.

In accordance with one or more further embodiments, the computer server analyzes soil condition data received from the wireless sensor network and generates recommended upper and lower threshold values for starting and stopping irrigation. The computer server can recognize trends in soil moisture graphs or from moisture data and alert the user if conditions are unsatisfactory (e.g., if the area is over or under irrigated or if the soil moisture level is saturated) or if the roots are active and healthily pulling water from the soil. The user has the option of accepting or modifying the recommended values generated by the computer server.

Systems in accordance with one or more embodiments can be easily installed in open fields, landscapes, and greenhouses due to use of wireless and battery powered components. This reduces wiring costs and pollution. At the same time, since no computer system is installed within the site, the total system cost is reduced and maintenance is made easier.

An irrigation system in accordance with one or more embodiments provides a controlled irrigation and production environment that increases productivity in agricultural environments, reduces losses occurring because of frost and various diseases, and improves quality. One element of building such an environment is an automation system. Using automation systems, the climate within a greenhouse can be kept at generally ideal conditions for the plants, and irrigation within the greenhouse or open fields can be optimized based on crop needs thereby achieving generally maximum production performance. Systems in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention make agricultural automation and irrigation control affordable, easy to use, and provide flexibility of use.

Claims (9)

Claim

1) An Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled system for improving farming and conserving the water usage during irrigational purposes comprises

i) Multiple sensor hubs and masts for positioning at pre-determined locations to periodically sense the data such as soil moisture, humidity, temperature and other factors that affect the plant growth.

ii) A processor and\or controller that receives the data from the sensor hubs and masts for analysing the soil quality, humidity, moisture content and surrounding temperature for determining the plant requirements and correspondingly activating the subsequent systems.

iii) A relay in communication to the processor to be activated upon the instructions.

iv) A motor for supplying water to the region of interest upon being activated by the relay.

v) A GUI for the end users to interact with the administrators and farmers in determining the ground factors.

2) The Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled system for improving farming and conserving the water usage during irrigational purposes as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one sub-surface wired or wireless sensor hub is configured to measure a moisture content of the soil area, humidity and climate conditions at pre determined intervals.

3) The Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled system for improving farming and conserving the water usage during irrigational purposes as claimed in claim 1 wherein data transmitting provision on an upper portion of the sensor mast is operatively connected with said lower sensing portion for transmitting to a central server the continuous measurement data corresponding to moisture levels continuously sensed by said multiple sensor hubs at the location of the mast.

4) The Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled system for improving farming and conserving the water usage during irrigational purposes as claimed in claim 1 wherein an irrigational set up is operatively connected with said processor to commence irrigation in response to signals transmitted from said processor as a function of data transmitted from said sensor hubs.

5) The Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled system for improving farming and conserving the water usage during irrigational purposes as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor activates the relay and the connected motor upon the sensor hub detecting moisture, humidity conditions are below a threshold value.

6) An Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled method for improving farming and conserving the water usage comprising placing a plurality of sensor hubs in predetermined locations in a farm, each hub including a meteorological data acquisition system and an environmental data collection system; and monitoring key elements in the region of interest from a plurality of sensor hubs including humidity, temp, soil moisture and elements that influence plant growth and that determines the usage of the water quantity.

7) An Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled method for improving farming and conserving the water usage as claimed in claim 6 wherein the GUI integrates the farmers with the central server for monitoring the irrigational land and correspondingly activating the relay connected to the irrigational pumps.

8) An Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled method for improving farming and conserving the water usage as claimed in claim 6 wherein the processor receives the data from the sensor hubs and processes the said data for determining the condition of the irrigational land to activate the motors at pre-determined time intervals.

9) An Internet-of-Thing (loT) enabled method for improving farming and conserving the water usage as claimed in claim 6 wherein further comprising analyzing soil condition data received from at least one wired or wireless sensor network and generating recommended upper and lower threshold values for starting and stopping irrigation and water flow control and wherein an end-user of the system is provided with the option of accepting or modifying the recommended values.