Smart Watering Pump Control for Automated Lawn Irrigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current gardening and lawn care systems require significant manual interaction to monitor and manage growing conditions, including watering, which can be inefficient and labor-intensive, even with the use of sensors and monitoring devices.
Innovation Solution
A system for intelligent control of yard maintenance that includes sensors, a smart watering pump, and a user terminal for remote operation and programming, allowing for adaptive and automated watering based on real-time data and predefined schedules, with the ability to coordinate with robotic rovers and other maintenance tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual monitoring and management of growing conditions is used, then system complexity is low, but labor intensity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The watering pump automatically monitors its own operational parameters (runtime, water usage) and calculates maintenance intervals without external intervention. The system self-manages watering operations based on sensor data, reducing the need for manual monitoring and management while maintaining simplicity for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors growing conditions through sensors and uses this feedback to automatically adjust watering operations. The processing circuitry receives sensor data, determines when watering is needed, and controls the pump accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that reduces manual intervention while managing complexity through automation.
2Productivity
If automated watering control is implemented, then productivity and efficiency improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated watering pump unit: water delivery, operational monitoring, data calculation, and maintenance scheduling are all merged into one device. This integration improves productivity by automating these functions while managing complexity through consolidation rather than proliferation of separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart watering pump serves multiple functions: it delivers water, monitors its own operational parameters, calculates runtime and water usage, determines maintenance intervals, and communicates with sensors and user terminals. This multi-functionality increases productivity by consolidating tasks while the universal design manages complexity through a single versatile device rather than multiple specialized components.
3Ease of operation
If remote control capability is added, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as an intermediary between the watering pump and the user terminal, handling communication protocols and data transmission. This mediator approach improves ease of operation by enabling remote control while managing communication complexity by isolating it to a dedicated intermediate device rather than requiring complex communication capabilities in the pump itself.
4Reliability
If maintenance interval calculation is automated, then reliability of maintenance scheduling improves, but processing requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The processing circuitry continuously monitors operational parameters and preliminarily calculates runtime and water usage data in real-time. By performing these calculations continuously and maintaining running totals, the system is prepared to determine maintenance intervals immediately when needed, improving reliability of scheduling while managing processing complexity through incremental updates rather than complex batch processing.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A system (10) of apparatuses comprising: sensor equipment (30) including one or more sensors (140, 142) disposed on a parcel of land; watering equipment (20) disposed on the parcel and configured to selectively apply water to the parcel; a user terminal (50); and a gateway (40) configured to communicate with the sensor equipment (30), the watering equipment (20), and the user terminal (50), the watering equipment (20) includes a watering pump (120), the watering pump (120) being operably coupled to a water source (100) and a water line (110) to alternately couple the water source (100) to and isolate the water source (100) from the water line (110), and the watering pump (120) including processing circuitry (160) configured to: determine an operational mode of the watering pump (120); and direct the watering pump (120) to operate in accordance with the operational mode, wherein the processing circuitry (160) is further configured to determine a recommended maintenance interval of the watering pump (120).