MAE: 494
GROUP 11
RESEARCH
James O'Dowd
Paten: US6257264 B1
The idea for this patent is that of a solar powered programmable valve. The idea of the solar power is to accommodate most areas of the world. The solar panels would charge a capacitor to store energy, this capacitor will be the energy distributor to the controller. Many places may not contain raw power. It is said that the valve would be connected to more toggle valves to accomplish the feat of controlling more than just one device. The valve itself is piolet operated and works of a latching solenoid. The use of solar power along with non-intrusive programing allows the controller to be sealed and contain no switches. The main purpose of the sealed controller is to combat different climates and effectively eliminate weathering ware on the controller. The group can learn from this patent. The system of solenoid valves in series as to control more than one zone, is a similar idea ours. Like this patent we aim to have one controller for multiple zones. However, the implementation is much different. Mainly we can use this patent to learn how to implement the controller. Our idea also uses solar power but the controller is not fully contained. The idea of containing the controller completely to quarantine it from the climate is smart. We had thought the controller may need some switches but if programmed correctly we can avoid this altogether. With the controller sealed the product can be used in many more areas of the world.
Journal
“Automation of Irrigation System Using ANN based Controller” is a journal study that compares its controller system to that of an ordinary on off controller. Using a closed loop system ends up being a very good way to be efficient with water and energy. The ANN (Artificial Neural Network) controller used is programed using MATLAB. The ANN controller will receive information from the sensors planted in the crops. It will receive fixed data such as kind of soil, kind of plants, and leaf coverage. Also it will receive varied data such as soil humidity, air humidity, radiation in the ground, and temperature. Using all of this data the ANN will make a decision of what crops need water, and then proceed to regulate the vale position to relay the correct amount of water needed to that specific crop area. The journal stated will help us decide what variables need to be regulated by our controller. Initially we thought the only critical variables were soil moisture, climate, and sun intensity. However, using this information we can obtain that there is many more factors that can be easily overlooked. To create the most efficient controller to save water, energy, and even time we can use this sort of thinking process. Another thing we can take from this journal is the fact that MATLAB is a very effective programing tool. We can use many of the processes used in the study to determine how to go about achieving certain goals.
Shane Lewis
Patent: US6196266 B1
A central component to our proposed design is what we have tentatively called the central diverter. The main purpose of this device is to direct the flow of water to the desired quadrant of the watering grid by indexing a central pipe inside a rotary casing with outlets connecting to the desired quadrant. This can provide a simpler solution for our application instead of using numerous valves. The patent researched is almost identical to the design proposed by our group. This patent is useful because it illustrates the complexity and design aspects that are missing from our design that are necessary to achieve the desired function. Currently the design of our central diverter is crude and more of a proof of concept than an actual detailed draft. Aspects such as locations for washers, gaskets, seals, fittings and many other more detailed components can be drawn from this patent. One of the most complex features of our design will be the integration of a motor that will operate the indexer. The patent illustrates how a central axel with a gear on the end can achieve this function without the need to construct teeth on the indexer itself as designed by our group. In summary the main challenge in constructing this diverter will be creating custom parts to a tolerance that is capable of being water tight and still be able actuate. This patent will be used to modify and improve our existing design to ensure that once we begin fabricating the actual prototype it will be satisfactory for our needs.
Journal
In Journal article “A Real-Time Wireless Smart Sensor Array for Scheduling Irrigation.” Detailed a working prototype and examined the performance of certain sensors and other components of the closed loop irrigation prototype. The most useful knowledge gain in this Journal was the author’s use of RFID tags being used for communication between the sensors and controller. The original design proposed by our group was the use of a wifi transmitter to transfer data between sensors. The RFID method outlined in the journal showed that RFID tags are much cheaper and use much less energy than an Arduino/Raspberry Pi device would use. RFID tags do not have capability to transfer as much information as a wifi connection [1], but this is not necessary due to the design specification that only a single sensor signal needs to be transferred. The journal does however demonstrate that the RFID tags have a relatively short range and can be interrupted by physical barriers [1]. This may be a problem for large scale agricultural use but for the sake of our project RFID tags may be a viable option. The prototype sensors in this article was also powered by a nine volt battery and descried the power consumption requirements. In order to achieve a sensor battery life of a single growing season (approximately eight months) the sensors did not update continuously, instead updated the controller every hour [1]. This design prototype fairly similarly matches the design proposed by our group with working alterations to the data collection method. The journal provides a design that is acceptable enough for real world use, but for practical demonstration purposes of our project and the scope of this class it may be easier to use less efficient methods such as an Arduino.
Matthew Mundt
Patent: US7280892 B2
This particular closed loop irrigation system was based around measuring different properties of sap flow to provide a way of monitoring the plants need to be watered. This is however, merely one feature of the invention that is described in the patent. Other major features would include the fact that each plant is individually surrounded at the base, extending toward the roots, by the irrigation mechanism in addition to a computer program operated system. Although the delivery system of the patent is an interesting concept, this feature requires extensive prior installation before it could be operable. This may be acceptable for relatively small applications but would be much more difficult and costly for larger scenarios. As a result, the individuality of this feature will be avoided in the groups effort to improve a closed loop irrigation system. One aspect that should be included, however, would be the computer
program that the patent uses. The feature of note is that the program records sap flow data from the plants over a desired period of time. This could prove useful as the person who is using the system could use this to better regulate the flow of water and possibly conserve. This simple feature has the potential to significantly reduce costs over a period of time. Another useful aspect is that although the system relies heavily on the sap flow to calculate water distribution, it also employs other means of monitoring the properties of the desired system. The result of such a diversity of sensors would be a more accurate reading of soil conditions and how much water the plants need. As a result, this plurality of sensors should be included in the revised irrigation concept that is being developed.
Journal
This article explores some of the many methods of closed loop irrigation. The main method that was focused on however, did not rely on any powered techniques to pump the water to various places. Instead, these closed loop irrigation systems rely solely on gravity. The bulk of the article is devoted not to how the water is dispersed to particular areas of a system, more so how large quantities of water are moved great distances to serve such purposes. Some things that the article looks into are the effects of spillage and waste of high water levels, decentralized control with both feedback and feedforward approaches, and some real world field tests to show what one can expect with such a system. In regards to the system that the group is working on, there are some major differences to take into account. First off, the group is working on an irrigation system that is in fact powered and employs pumping mechanisms. However, this article is helpful to the project in a way that describes the alternatives to powered irrigation. If the group decides that it would be beneficial overall to reduce costs by removing the powered aspect, this article would contain information that would explain the basic mechanics of such a system that operates only under the influence of gravity. The group could then employ the equations that are used in the article to calculate the necessary information based off of past data to irrigate a specified system. Additionally, the group would use information provided by the article to decide what configuration (centralized, decentralized, feedforward, or feedback) would provide the best outcome for the system.
Kaetlin Mcgee
Patent: US20050135880 A1
This patent outlines a similar design for a closed loop irrigation system, which delivers water and/or nutrients through channels, directly to the roots. Moisture sensors can also be used to connect to a controller. The patent can help our group design our own experiment and testing. It can also aid in a lot of decision making the groups needs to make in terms of materials and which methods will work best for water distribution to each zone. The patent emphasizes a lot of problems with current irrigation designs, especially with water consumption and the consequences of over watering. A lot of water can be wasted by typical sprinkler systems via evaporation. To prevent this, watering can be done at night, but this makes the lawn area susceptible to mold. Current design can also be easily damaged by other lawn care equipment or even people tripping/purposefully vandalizing the sprinkler heads. These flaws led to the explanation of the patent’s design, where a grid with holes angled down into the soil would stream water directly to the roots. The author stresses that this method decreases evaporation, while giving water to the zones that need it (based on sensor readings and which injection nozzles are activated). The author explains that there are many options in regards to the water source and power supply to the valves. The water can be from a singular source or from multiple sources. Electrical power for the controller can be by power line, solar cells, etc. These options give the user a wider range to choose from in order to fit their needs. This might be something that our group takes into consideration when coming up with our final design. Additionally, Figure 4 from the patent shows a single water channel that is meant to surround a certain tree, bush, plant etc. This is something that makes the patent unique, and could be adapted into our project.
Journal: “Evaluation of Closed-Loop Site-Specific Irrigation with Wireless Sensor Network”
This article reports on an experiment published in the Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. An automated cart-like sprinkler irrigation system was designed to save water and maximize productivity. The article gives details about the system’s configuration and the wireless control set up. There are a lot of design-making scenarios included in the article that will be helpful to our project. To summarize the experiment and results, the system was implemented on an experimental field that the system was design for. This is most likely what we will also do; create a design around certain environmental conditions (site specific conditions). A grid was created from the designated plot, where the self-propelled sprinkler system would move laterally. A control system then sends a signal to the cart, giving the input to the nozzles. Overall the system was a success, with the catch data being highly correlated to the water amount supplied. It’s also noted that the technology was built on a linear system, but could easily be redesigned to work on central pivots. For our project, we have 4 zones in a grid, but the shape of the zone is irrelevant so long as they can be adapted to best suit the user. The wireless sensors were a key component of the experiment. Because they are wireless, a lot of planning was required on the range of the sensors. The sensors read every 15 min and the N-probe readings once a week. This might be because of the Bluetooth connection, so our group can have more frequent and accurate readings. Probes were also placed at different depths in the soil. Our group can consider this technique for more accurate readings, but in order to keep our design simple, it might be out of the scope of our project.
Lenny Nivar
Patent: US2672733 A
The patent I’ve chosen is from March 23, 1954 and it was filed in October 23,1953 by J. Gregory. Mr. Gregory is patenting an irrigation pump with similar aspect to an automobile because he included a combustion engine and water pump and even an impeller to allow fluids to flow. When I was searching for patent I didn’t really mind if it was an old document, my first though was that it might have very interesting techniques with limited resources. The patent summary was very repetitive and hard to understand what exactly was the main purpose of the patent. Anyways some innovations that this patent made me realized is that we want we can include a hybrid irrigation pump. It can t be more expensive but in the long run they will save electrical energy while increasing the pumps lifespan. We can potentially improve the devices layouts by listing the figures and clarifying each part functionality therefor we have a better process of elimination. Altogether besides the fact that the patent functionality is a bit blurry, the figures were well layout and some of Gregory ideas were good but they could have been much better if there wasn’t that many mechanical components.
Journal: “Field Performance Analysis of Center Pivot Sprinkler Packages”
This journal targets the main problems of maintaining an irrigation system and listed out step by step where the system need the most improvement. Step by step meaning that they did a mini experiment that included equipment and methods, result and discussions as well as graphs and equations. A good strategy I liked from this experiment was that they performed testing in both irrigation packages, the one before and the one after the modifications, by recording the starting and ending time of the water speed through the pipes. The magnitude of the project is something we need to take into account as well because it may lead to us to redesign our system if necessary. For example, in this case the Bureau of Indian Affairs was in charge of the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIIP) this project was so big that it included around 2,001,508 pivot in an area of around 20,500 hectares. One hectares is equivalent to 100 acres and one acres is a little less of American football field, now if we put all of this together this project is extremely large. This project included different sprinklers such as spray on top of pipe (ST), impact (IM) and flat spray on drops (FS) and later similar to our group they incorporated some more features to each in order to well target the soil. Another point of view is the technology and electrical devices that this project is a little aged. They mentioned that some of the sprinklers were around ten to eighteen years old, during that decade technology has advance so much. That in 2002 around 100 sprinklers were replace with Nelsons 3000 sprinklers and later in 2003 over 70 where replace their sprinklers with Senninger’s I-Wob Sprinklers. Overall a good maintenance it’s necessary for any old irrigation system in order keep on working after working for a long period time.