Irrigation Control Unit Weather Data Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Irrigation controllers often overwater during wet weather and underwater during hot weather due to their inability to adjust schedules based on sophisticated weather data.
Innovation Solution
An irrigation control unit that receives and stores weather data from a local weather station, allowing for adjustments to be sent to the irrigation controller, including the use of wireless communication, evapotranspiration algorithms, and soil moisture sensors to optimize watering schedules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If irrigation controllers use basic rain sensors to interrupt watering during rain, then water waste during rain is reduced, but the controllers cannot adjust schedules based on sophisticated weather data, causing overwatering during wet weather and underwatering during hot weather
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the irrigation control functionality into two separate components: a basic irrigation controller that handles simple rain sensor input, and a separate control unit that receives sophisticated weather data from a weather station. The control unit processes weather data and sends adjustment commands to the irrigation controller, allowing each component to remain relatively simple while achieving sophisticated weather-based control.
Solution Approach 2:
A control unit acts as an intermediary between the weather station and the irrigation controller. This intermediary receives weather data from the weather station, processes it using evapotranspiration algorithms, and sends adjusted scheduling commands to the irrigation controller. The intermediary enables sophisticated weather-based control without requiring the irrigation controller itself to be complex.
2Loss of information
If irrigation controllers lack sufficient memory and wireless transmitter hardware, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but they cannot store and interpret weather data from weather stations
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves as an intermediary that possesses the necessary hardware capabilities (wireless transmitter, sufficient memory) to receive and store weather data from the weather station. It then processes this data and communicates only essential scheduling adjustments to the simpler irrigation controller, thereby distributing hardware requirements across multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the weather data storage, processing, and wireless communication functions from the irrigation controller and places them in a separate control unit. This allows the irrigation controller to remain simple while the control unit handles the sophisticated weather data management.
3Productivity
If irrigation controllers use fixed scheduling without weather-based adjustments, then device complexity is minimized, but they overwater during wet weather and underwater during hot weather, reducing irrigation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring weather data from the weather station and using evapotranspiration algorithms to dynamically adjust irrigation schedules. The control unit receives real-time weather information, processes it to determine water needs, and sends adjusted scheduling commands to the irrigation controller, creating a closed-loop feedback system that optimizes irrigation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The irrigation schedule transitions from a fixed, static timing system to a dynamic system that automatically adjusts based on real-time weather conditions. The control unit modifies watering schedules dynamically according to evapotranspiration rates calculated from current weather data, allowing the system to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
An irrigation control module is described that adjusts a watering schedule for a connected irrigation controller based on weather data provided by a local weather station. The irrigation control module can add additional weather-based irrigation schedule adjustments to an irrigation controller that may otherwise lack the hardware (e.g., wireless transmitter, sufficient memory) and software (e.g., evapotranspiration algorithms) to store and interpret weather data from a weather station.