Weather-Based Irrigation Control Using Evapotranspiration Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing irrigation systems face challenges in optimizing water supply due to varying weather conditions, leading to inefficient and often wasteful watering practices that can damage plant life and waste resources.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses current and past weather data, specifically evapotranspiration (ET) values, to determine when and how much water to irrigate, with customizable irrigation control levels allowing for precise scheduling and activation based on threshold moisture loss values, ensuring optimal water delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If irrigation systems use historic weather conditions to determine water supply, then they attempt to optimize watering efficiency, but they waste water due to slow response times and inaccurate data
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of moisture loss using current weather data and projected future conditions to determine irrigation needs in advance, rather than relying on slow historic data processing. This allows the system to proactively schedule irrigation before water waste occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors current weather conditions and compares them against irrigation thresholds, creating a real-time feedback loop that adjusts water supply decisions dynamically. This feedback mechanism eliminates the lag inherent in historic weather-based systems and prevents water waste through responsive control.
2Reliability
If irrigation systems deliver excess water above plant needs, then they ensure adequate water supply, but they damage plant life and waste water resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different irrigation thresholds and water supply levels to different zones based on their specific plant needs, soil conditions, and micro-climate characteristics. This localized approach ensures each area receives precisely the water it needs without excess that would cause damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts irrigation parameters such as water supply rate, duration, and timing based on real-time weather conditions and plant moisture requirements. By changing these parameters responsively, the system prevents both water deficiency and harmful excess water application.
3Device complexity
If irrigation systems use simple historic weather data, then they reduce system complexity, but they produce inaccurate watering decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic thresholds for moisture loss that adapt to current weather conditions rather than static historic averages. These dynamic thresholds are calculated using current temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation data, providing accurate watering decisions without requiring overly complex infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically calculates and adjusts irrigation parameters using readily available weather data and built-in algorithms, eliminating the need for complex manual calibration or sophisticated sensor networks. This self-service approach maintains simplicity while achieving precision through automated adaptive control.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide methods, systems and computer readable mediums storing programs, instructions and/or coding for use in setting up and/or controlling irrigation. A method for use in controlling an irrigation system is provided according to some embodiments that receives a first current moisture loss value, determines a first net moisture loss value since a last irrigation start day utilizing the first current moisture loss value, retrieves a threshold moisture loss value associated with one or more watering programs controlled according to one of a plurality of selectable irrigation control levels that correspond to different ways of associating threshold moisture loss values to watering programs, and defining a current day as an irrigation start day for the one or more watering programs associated with the first irrigation control level when the first net moisture loss value has a predetermined relationship with respect to the threshold moisture loss value.