Irrigation management via intelligent image analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10448585-B2
Application number	US-201715812041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2017
Priority date	Nov 14, 2017
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

Various arrangements for visual control of a network-enabled irrigation system are presented. In some embodiments, a video stream of an outdoor location that can include a lawn may be captured. The video stream of the outdoor location may be transmitted to a cloud-based irrigation management server system. The lawn may be monitored for a period of time using the video stream. Based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time, a visual change in a state of the lawn may be identified. Based on the visual change in the state of the lawn, an adjustment of an irrigation program of the network-enabled irrigation system may be determined. An irrigation control message may be transmitted to the network-enabled irrigation system that alters an irrigation schedule for the lawn.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for visual control of a network-enabled irrigation system, the method comprising:
capturing, using one or more network-enabled video cameras, one or more video streams of an outdoor location, wherein the outdoor location comprises a lawn;
transmitting, by the one or more network-enabled video cameras, the one or more video streams of the outdoor location to a cloud-based irrigation management server system via the Internet;
monitoring, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, the lawn for a period of time using the one or more video streams;
performing a visual irrigation learning process, wherein the visual irrigation learning process comprises determining one or more types of sprinkler heads installed in the lawn;
identifying, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time, a visual change in a state of the lawn;
determining, based on the visual change in the state of the lawn, adjustment of an irrigation program of the network-enabled irrigation system; and
transmitting, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, an irrigation control message to a controller unit of the network-enabled irrigation system via the Internet, wherein the irrigation control message causes the network-enabled irrigation system to alter an irrigation schedule for the lawn.

2. The method for visual control of the network-enabled irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the lawn for the period of time using the one or more video streams comprises the cloud-based irrigation management server system determining a duration during which sunlight is directly incident on at least a portion of the lawn.

3. The method for visual control of the network-enabled irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the lawn for the period of time using the one or more video streams comprises:
occasionally storing a frame from the one or more video streams of the outdoor location such that a plurality of frames are stored, each frame of the plurality of frames having a timestamp; and
comparing at least a subset of the plurality of frames.

4. The method for visual control of the network-enabled irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the visual change in the state of the lawn based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time comprises:
identifying, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, a color change of the lawn over the period of time.

5. A method for visual control of a network-enabled irrigation system, the method comprising:
capturing, using one or more network-enabled video cameras, one or more video streams of an outdoor location, wherein the outdoor location comprises a lawn;
performing, by a cloud-based irrigation management server system, a visual irrigation learning process, wherein the visual irrigation learning process comprises:
activating each zone of a plurality of zones of the network-enabled irrigation system sequentially; and
while each zone of the plurality of zones of the network-enabled irrigation system is activated, monitoring the one or more video streams of the outdoor location;
based on monitoring the one or more video streams of the outdoor location, mapping each zone of the plurality of zones of the network-enabled irrigation system to a corresponding portion of the outdoor location;

storing a data structure that maps each zone of the plurality of zones to the corresponding portion of the outdoor location;
transmitting, by the one or more network-enabled video cameras, the one or more video streams of the outdoor location to the cloud-based irrigation management server system via the Internet;
monitoring, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, the lawn for a period of time using the one or more video streams;
identifying, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time, a visual change in a state of the lawn;
determining, based on the visual change in the state of the lawn, adjustment of an irrigation program of the network-enabled irrigation system; and
transmitting, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, an irrigation control message to a controller unit of the network-enabled irrigation system via the Internet, wherein the irrigation control message causes the network-enabled irrigation system to alter an irrigation schedule for the lawn.

6. A method for visual control of a network-enabled irrigation system, the method comprising:
capturing, using one or more network-enabled video cameras, one or more video streams of an outdoor location, wherein the outdoor location comprises a lawn;
transmitting, by the one or more network-enabled video cameras, the one or more video streams of the outdoor location to a cloud-based irrigation management server system via the Internet;
performing a visual irrigation learning process, wherein the visual irrigation learning process comprises:
determining that a first zone and a second zone of a plurality of irrigation zones overlap; and
transmitting, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, a notification to a user linked with a user account that is linked with the network-enabled irrigation system, wherein the notification is indicative of the overlap between the first zone and the second zone;

monitoring, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, the lawn for a period of time using the one or more video streams;
identifying, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time, a visual change in a state of the lawn;
determining, based on the visual change in the state of the lawn, adjustment of an irrigation program of the network-enabled irrigation system; and
transmitting, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, an irrigation control message to a controller unit of the network-enabled irrigation system via the Internet, wherein the irrigation control message causes the network-enabled irrigation system to alter an irrigation schedule for the lawn.

7. The method for visual control of the network-enabled irrigation system of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time, a recommended physical change to be made to the network-enabled irrigation system; and
transmitting, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, a notification to a user linked with a user account that is linked with the network-enabled irrigation system, wherein the notification is indicative of the recommended physical change to be made to the network-enabled irrigation system.

8. A method for visual control of a network-enabled irrigation system, the method comprising:
capturing, using one or more network-enabled video cameras, one or more video streams of an outdoor location, wherein the outdoor location comprises a lawn;
transmitting, by the one or more network-enabled video cameras, the one or more video streams of the outdoor location to a cloud-based irrigation management server system via the Internet;
monitoring, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, the lawn for a period of time using the one or more video streams;
identifying, by the cloud-based irrigation management server system, based on monitoring the lawn for the period of time, a recommended physical change to be made to the network-enabled irrigation system, wherein the recommended physical change is selected from a group consisting of:
a change in a spray pattern of a sprinkler of the network-enabled irrigation system;
a change in a sprinkler type of the sprinkler of th

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Kundra Deepak
• Nold John
• Stewart James
• Mohan Ankit
• Tan Leon

Classifications

• H04N7/188

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04N7/181

  for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources · CPC title

• A01G25/165 Primary

  Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations · CPC title

• G06K9/00718

  Physics · mapped topic