Pressure driven irrigation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11240975-B2
Application number	US-201916670364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2019
Priority date	Mar 8, 2016
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A water irrigation system is provided for irrigating a plurality of zones. The water irrigation system includes a set of acoustic pressure modulators for generating a set of modulated acoustic pressure signals that include an actuating pressure signal and a de-actuating pressure signal. The set of acoustic pressure modulators include different subsets. The different subsets control different ones of the plurality of zones by selectively providing the same or different ones of the actuating and de-actuating pressure signals to the different ones of the plurality of zones at any given time. The water irrigation system further includes a set of acoustically-reactive irrigating elements disposed in each of the plurality of zones, each including an acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter. The acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter is selectively actuated or de-actuated responsive to the actuating pressure signal and the de-actuating pressure signal, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water irrigation system for irrigating a plurality of zones, comprising:
a set of acoustic pressure modulators for generating a set of modulated acoustic pressure signals that include an actuating pressure signal and a de-actuating pressure signal, the set of acoustic pressure modulators including different subsets, wherein the different subsets control different ones of the plurality of zones by selectively providing the same or different ones of the actuating and de-actuating pressure signals to the different ones of the plurality of zones at any given time; and
a set of acoustically-reactive irrigating elements disposed in each of the plurality of zones, each including an acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter, the acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter being selectively actuated or de-actuated responsive to the actuating pressure signal and the de-actuating pressure signal, respectively.

2. The water irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein the acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter performs drip irrigation, responsive to a specific oscillation frequency of the actuating pressure signal from the subset of acoustic pressure modulators in control thereof.

3. The water irrigation system of claim 1 , further comprising a tubing element, the tubing element comprising segments separated by pressure attenuating tubing bends, each of the segments forming a separate one of the plurality of irrigation zones.

4. The water irrigation system of claim 3 , wherein at least some of the acoustic pressure modulators provide different actuating signals and de-actuating signals to at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones at the any given time to provide differential irrigation between the plurality of irrigation zones.

5. The water irrigation system of claim 4 , wherein the differential irrigation comprises different irrigation rates.

6. The water irrigation system of claim 4 , wherein at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones are of different sizes.

7. The water irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein the set of irrigating elements provide variable irrigation rates there between based on at least one of a frequency and a power of the actuating signal.

8. The water irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein the set of acoustic pressure modulators comprises a set of audio speakers.

9. The water irrigation system of claim 1 , wherein each of the irrigating elements in any given one of the plurality of zones are separately addressable for selective actuation and de-actuation at any given time.

10. The water irrigation system of claim 9 , wherein the set of acoustic pressure modulators generate the actuating pressure signal for at least some of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones based on a sum of pressure signals that exceed at least one of a threshold frequency and a threshold amplitude such that the at least some of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are active while remaining ones of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are inactive.

11. The water irrigation system of claim 10 , wherein at least two of the pressure signals that are summed have at least one of different amplitudes and different frequencies.

12. A method for water irrigation for a plurality of zones, comprising:
configuring a set of acoustic pressure modulators to generate a set of modulated acoustic pressure signals that include an actuating pressure signal and a de-actuating pressure signal, the set of acoustic pressure modulators including different subsets, wherein the different subsets control different ones of the plurality of zones by selectively providing the same or different ones of the actuating and de-actuating pressure signals to the different ones of the plurality of zones at any given time; and
configuring a set of acoustically reactive irrigating elements disposed in each of the plurality of zones, each including an acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter, the acoustically-reactive oscillating disk based water emitter being selectively actuated or de-actuated responsive to the actuating pressure signal and the de-actuating pressure signal, respectively.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising a tubing element configured into segments separated by pressure attenuating tubing bends, each of the segments forming a separate one of the plurality of irrigation zones.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising configuring at least some of the acoustic pressure modulators to provide different actuating signals and de-actuating signals to at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones to provide differential irrigation between the plurality of irrigation zones.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least some of the plurality of irrigation zones are of different sizes, and wherein the differential irrigation comprises different irrigation rates.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the set of irrigating elements is configured to provide variable irrigation rates there between based on at least one of a frequency and a power of the actuating signal.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the irrigating elements in any given one of the plurality of zones are configured to be separately addressable for selective actuation and de-actuation at any given time.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the set of acoustic pressure modulators is configured to generate the actuating pressure signal for at least some of the irrigating elements in a given one of the plurality of zones based on a sum of pressure signals that exceed at least one of a threshold frequency and a threshold amplitude such that the at least some of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are active while remaining ones of the irrigating elements in the given one of the plurality of zones are inactive.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bermudez Rodriguez Sergio A
• Klein Levente
• Schrott Alejandro G
• Van Kessel Theodore G

Classifications

• A01G25/023 Primary

  Dispensing fittings for drip irrigation, e.g. drippers · CPC title

• B05B12/00

  Arrangements for controlling delivery; Arrangements for controlling the spray area · CPC title

• B05B12/04

  for sequential operation or multiple outlets · CPC title

• A01G25/165

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