Intelligent Water Management System for Dynamic Irrigation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior irrigation controllers lack integration with advanced meter reading (AMR) technologies, leading to inefficient water management and potential damage to landscapes when irrigation is halted due to exceeding water usage thresholds, as they do not autonomously adjust water allocation based on real-time data and prioritize household water needs.
Innovation Solution
An intelligent water management system (IWMI) that interfaces with AMR technologies to convert water usage data into a format usable by irrigation controllers, allowing for real-time adjustments and prioritization of water allocation, ensuring sufficient water for household use before allocating to irrigation, and implementing priority watering to conserve water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If irrigation controllers use simple water usage thresholds to halt irrigation, then water usage is limited, but landscapes may be damaged due to early irrigation stops
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts irrigation schedules based on real-time water usage data from AMR meters, rather than using fixed thresholds. The controller continuously monitors actual water consumption and modifies irrigation timing and duration to prevent exceeding water limits while maintaining landscape health through adaptive management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops by continuously reading water usage data from AMR meters and using this information to adjust future irrigation decisions. The controller receives real-time feedback on water consumption patterns and modifies irrigation schedules accordingly, allowing it to distinguish between acceptable and excessive water usage.
2Productivity
If irrigation controllers autonomously adjust water allocation based on real-time data, then water management efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) technology as an intermediary to provide automated water usage data to the irrigation controller. This intermediary component enables autonomous decision-making without requiring complex manual monitoring systems, as the AMR meter automatically supplies the necessary data for intelligent water allocation adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The irrigation system performs self-service by automatically monitoring its own water consumption through integrated AMR meters and autonomously adjusting its irrigation schedules based on this data. The system manages its own water allocation without external intervention, making efficient use of water while reducing the need for manual control complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to an intelligent water management irrigation system for monitoring the total water usage for a billing site and preventing cumulative water usage from exceeding a water budget by adjusting the amount of water used for irrigation. Irrigation zone priority values are selected for each irrigation zone that specify a percentage of the full water need that the foliage in the zone can survive and are saved in an intelligent water management irrigation (IWMI) controller. The IWMI controller receives water usage information originating from a property's water meter and compares the measured water usage with the allowable water budget. Water usage is tracked separately for the household use and landscape use (irrigation). Prior to each irrigation cycle, the IWMI controller estimates the amount of water that will be needed by the landscape and for household use during the remainder of a billing cycle; household use is given precedence over landscape use. If the water budget will support both, irrigation can proceed normally. If the budget will not support both, the IWMI controller estimates the amount of water needed for the remainder of the billing cycle if only a priority watering amount is allocated for each landscape zone. If the water budget will support priority irrigation, landscape watering can proceed in priority irrigation mode. If the water budget will not support priority irrigation watering, the irrigation cycle is skipped and the water usage estimations are recalculated prior to the next irrigation cycle.