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US 10,255,384 B2Granted
Agricultural drainage design based on soil modeling
AssigneeTrimble Inc.
InventorsJoshua W. Shuler, Christopher van der Loo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Novel tools and techniques might provide for designing and/or implementing a drainage system for an agricultural area, based at least in part on three-dimensional soil modeling. In some embodiments, a computer system may designate one or more locations for installing one or more main drainage pipes within the agricultural area, based at least in part based at least in part on optimization of location and/or costs. The optimization may be based at least in part on the location of at least one main drainage area, and the respective slope, depth to bedrock, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the one or more locations.
Claims20
A method of designing and implementing a drainage system for an agricultural area, the method comprising:
- creating, with a first computer, a three-dimensional topographic survey for the agricultural area, the three-dimensional topographic survey comprising a location of a main drainage area of the agricultural area, and a respective slope at each of a plurality of locations within the agricultural area;
- creating, with the first computer, a three-dimensional soil profile for the agricultural area, the three-dimensional soil profile comprising information about a depth to bedrock, and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the plurality of locations within the agricultural area;
- designating, with a second computer, one or more locations for installing one or more main drainage pipes within the agricultural area, based at least in part on an optimization of the location of the main drainage area, and the respective slope, depth to bedrock, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the one or more locations, said optimization comprises applying a bulking factor of topsoil and subsurface materials, wherein designating the one or more locations comprising determining a maximum drainage flow rate for the agricultural area, based at least in part on the maximum rainfall amount;
- and
- sending instructions to at least one pipe installation machine, the instructions causing the at one pipe installation machine to install the one or more drainage pipes at the designated one or more locations based on the determined cross-sectional size, the determined maximum drainage flow rate, and the optimization of the location.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- a non-transitory computer readable medium in communication with the one or more processors, the non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the computer system to perform one or more operations, comprising:
- creating a three-dimensional topographic survey for the agricultural area, the three-dimensional topographic survey including a location of each of at least one main drainage area of the agricultural area, and a slope at each of a plurality of locations within the agricultural area;
- creating a three-dimensional soil profile for the agricultural area that includes information about a depth to bedrock and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the plurality of locations within the agricultural area;
- designating one or more locations for installing one or more main drainage pipes within the agricultural area, based at least in part on an optimization of the location of the at least one main drainage area, and the slope, depth to bedrock, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the one or more locations, said optimization comprises applying a bulking factor of topsoil and subsurface materials, wherein designating the one or more locations comprising determining a maximum drainage flow rate for the agricultural area, based at least in part on the maximum rainfall amount;
- determining a cross-sectional size of the one or more main drainage pipes, based at least in part on the three-dimensional soil profile and the three-dimensional topographic survey;
- and
- sending instructions to at least one pipe installation machine, the instructions causing the at one pipe installation machine to install the one or more drainage pipes at the designated one or more locations based on the determined cross-sectional size, the determined maximum drainage flow rate, and the optimization of the location.
6 more elements
A system comprising:
- a server comprising:
- a first processor;
- a first computer non-transitory readable medium in communication with the first processor, the first non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a first set of instructions executable by the first processor to perform one or more operations, comprising:
- creating a three-dimensional topographic survey for the agricultural area, the three-dimensional topographic survey including a location of each of at least one main drainage area of the agricultural area, and a slope at each of a plurality of locations within the agricultural area;
- creating a three-dimensional soil profile for the agricultural area that includes information about a depth to bedrock and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the plurality of locations within the agricultural area;
- a mobile user device coupled to the server, the mobile user device comprising:
- a second processor;
- and
- a second non-transitory computer readable medium in communication with the second processor, the second non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a second set of instructions executable by the second processor to perform one or more operations, comprising:
- receiving, from the server, the three-dimensional topographic survey and three-dimensional soil profile;
- designating one or more locations for installing one or more main drainage pipes within the agricultural area, based at least in part on an optimization of the location of the at least one main drainage area, and the slope, depth to bedrock, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil at each of the one or more locations, said optimization comprises applying a bulking factor of topsoil and subsurface materials, wherein designating the one or more locations comprising determining a maximum drainage flow rate for the agricultural area, based at least in part on the maximum rainfall amount;
- determining a cross-sectional size of the one or more main drainage pipes, based at least in part on the three-dimensional soil profile and the three-dimensional topographic survey;
- and
- sending instructions to at least one pipe installation machine, the instructions causing the at one pipe installation machine to install the one or more drainage pipes at the designated one or more locations based on the determined cross-sectional size, the determined maximum drainage flow rate, and the optimization of the location.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.