Soil Moisture Sensor Grid for Real-Time Irrigation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current irrigation systems often waste water due to inefficiencies, as they lack real-time feedback on soil moisture levels, leading to overwatering or underwatering, and require expertise and costly equipment to optimize water usage.
Innovation Solution
A soil sensor grid system that includes sensors placed in a strategic pattern within a landscaped area to provide real-time feedback to a smart controller, optimizing water usage based on property-specific characteristics, and integrating with existing irrigation systems to adjust watering schedules accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional irrigation systems are used, then water distribution can be maintained, but water waste occurs due to lack of real-time feedback on soil moisture levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a soil sensor grid that provides real-time feedback on soil moisture levels to a controller, which then adjusts irrigation system operation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism eliminates water waste by ensuring irrigation only occurs when soil moisture is insufficient, directly resolving the contradiction between maintaining irrigation function and preventing water waste through information feedback.
2Productivity
If sophisticated irrigation systems with real-time monitoring are implemented, then optimal water usage can be achieved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring function into discrete, distributed soil moisture sensors placed throughout the landscape rather than using a single complex centralized system. This segmentation allows the system to achieve sophisticated real-time monitoring through multiple simple, independent sensor units, resolving the contradiction between water usage efficiency and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The soil sensors autonomously monitor soil moisture levels and transmit data to the controller without requiring manual intervention or complex external systems. This self-service capability enables optimal water usage management while keeping the system simple and易于维护，addressing the contradiction between productivity and device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform irrigation is applied across the entire landscape, then installation is simple, but water distribution is inconsistent leading to overwatering or underwatering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a grid of distributed soil moisture sensors that provide location-specific data about soil conditions throughout the landscape. The controller uses this localized information to adjust irrigation timing and duration for different areas, achieving precise water distribution tailored to local soil moisture conditions while maintaining relatively simple installation through the modular sensor grid approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for providing optimal irrigation or watering, and more specifically providing a soil sensor grid placed in the ground of a landscaped property, in commercial, residential or even agricultural areas. The soil sensor grid can allow for optimal water usage in a specified irrigation area by providing real time data to an irrigation system and a user to optimize water usage. A soil sensor grid, or moisture sensor grid, may be installed on a property, buried in the ground, to provide current and real time feedback of the current moisture levels of the soil. The moisture data is uploaded to the cloud and provided to a user and the irrigation system allowing a user to automatically or manually manipulate the irrigation system to properly water or irrigate different portions of the property based on the data from the soil sensor grid.