# US 11,432,483 B2 · System and method for calibrating an irrigation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,432,483 B2 - Document ID: US11432483B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/060,425 - Filed: 2020-10-01 - Published: 2021-01-28 - Granted: 2022-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-08 - Assignees: Lindsay Corporation - Applicants: Lindsay Corporation - Inventors: Michael George Ricketts; Brian James Magnusson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432483B2 ## CPC - A01G 25/16: Control of watering - A01G 25/092: {movable around a pivot centre} - B05B 12/085: {responsive to flow or pressure of liquid or other fluent material to be discharged (B05B1/3006, B05B1/323 take precedence; spray pistols designed to control volume of flow with the controlling means being fluid actuated B05B7/1254)} - B05B 12/087: {Flow or presssure regulators, i.e. non-electric unitary devices comprising a sensing element, e.g. a piston or a membrane, and a controlling element, e.g. a valve} - B05B 12/122: {responsive to presence or shape of target (B05B12/124 takes precedence)} - B05B 12/126: {responsive to target velocity, e.g. to relative velocity between spray apparatus and target (B05B9/06 takes precedence)} - B05B 1/20: Perforated pipes or troughs, e.g. spray booms; Outlet elements therefor - A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12) - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) ## Abstract A system and method for calibrating an irrigation system to account for variations in flow rates, motor operating parameters, and other parameters caused by field elevation changes, pipe friction losses, water emitter nozzle wear, pressure-regulator inaccuracies, and other factors. A calibration map is created to account for the flow rate variations or other parameters and then consulted to control operation of the irrigation system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of calibrating an irrigation system having a plurality of mobile towers driven by a drive motor and a plurality of water emitters supported by the mobile towers, the method comprising: operating the mobile towers in accordance with an irrigation plan to move the irrigation system over a plurality of sections of a ground surface; determining positions of the irrigation system as it moves; measuring operating parameters of the drive motor as the irrigation system traverses each of the sections; comparing the measured operating parameters to expected operating parameters for the drive motor for each of the sections; creating a calibration map that reflects differences between the measured operating parameters and the expected operating parameters for each of the sections, the calibration map including a separate correction factor for each of the sections, wherein each of the correction factors accounts for differences between the measured operating parameters and the expected operating parameters for its respective section and not any of the other sections; and calibrating operation of the irrigation system with the calibration map by adjusting an operational aspect of the irrigation system for each of the sections in accordance with the separate correction factors for the sections to account for the differences between the measured operating parameters and the expected operating parameters for each of the sections so that each of the sections is calibrated independently. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operational aspect of the irrigation system is selected from the group consisting of a speed of the mobile towers, a duty cycle of the water emitters, and a water flow rate of the water emitters. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the method is performed during a calibration run of the irrigation system or while the irrigation system is irrigating the ground surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operating parameters of the drive motor are an amperage draw of the drive motor, a wheel slippage of a wheel coupled to the drive motor, or a temperature of the drive motor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the measuring step is performed with an amperage sensor, a wheel slippage sensor, or a motor temperature sensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising generating and sending an alert if the measured operating parameters deviate from the expected operating parameters by more than a threshold amount. ### Claim 7 A method of calibrating an irrigation system having a plurality of mobile towers, the method comprising: operating the mobile towers in accordance with an irrigation plan to move the irrigation system over a plurality of sections of a ground surface; determining positions of the irrigation system as it moves; monitoring characteristics of the ground surface as the irrigation system traverses each of the sections; comparing the monitored characteristics to expected characteristics of the ground surface for each of the sections; creating a calibration map that reflects differences between the monitored characteristics and the expected characteristics for each of the sections, the calibration map including a separate correction factor for each of the sections, wherein each of the correction factors accounts for differences between the monitored characteristics and the expected characteristics for its respective section and not any of the other sections; and calibrating operation of the irrigation system with the calibration map by adjusting an operational aspect of the irrigation system for each of the sections in accordance with the separate correction factors for the sections to account for the differences between the monitored characteristics and the expected characteristics for each of the sections so that each of the sections is calibrated independently. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the operational aspect of the irrigation system is selected from the group consisting of a speed of the mobile towers, a duty cycle of the water emitters, and a water flow rate of the water emitters. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the characteristics of the ground surface include an amount of standing water on the ground surface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the monitoring step is performed with a camera. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising generating and sending an alert if the monitored characteristics deviate from the expected characteristics by more than a threshold amount. ### Claim 12 An irrigation system comprising: a series of mobile towers each having wheels and a motor for driving the wheels; support structure for connecting the mobile towers to each other; a water-carrying conduit supported by the support structure; a plurality of water emitters connected to the conduit for delivering water to a ground surface; a plurality of valves for controlling water flow to the water emitters; and a control system for controlling operation of the mobile tower motors and the valves, the control system programmed to: operate the mobile towers in accordance with an irrigation plan to move the irrigation system over a ground surface and to apply selected amounts of fluids to a plurality of sections of the ground surface; determine positions of the irrigation system as the irrigation system moves over the ground surface; measure operating parameters of a component of the irrigation system as the irrigation system moves over the sections of the ground surface; compare the measured operating parameters to expected operating parameters for the determined positions of the irrigation system for each of the sections; create a calibration map that reflects differences between the measured operating parameters and the expected operating parameters for each of the sections, the calibration map including a separate correction factor for each of the sections, wherein each of the correction factors accounts for differences between the measured operating parameters and the expected operating parameters for its respective section and not any of the other sections; and calibrate operation of the irrigation system with the calibration map by adjusting an operational aspect of the irrigation system for each of the sections in accordance with the separate correction factors for the sections to account for the differences between the measured operating parameters and the expected operating parameters for each of the sections. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The irrigation system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the operational aspect of the irrigation system is selected from the group consisting of a speed of the mobile towers, a duty cycle of the water emitters, and a water flow rate of the water emitters. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The irrigation system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the control system is positioned on the irrigation system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The irrigation system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the control system is positioned remotely from the irrigation system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The irrigation system as set forth in claim 12, wherein some components of the control system are positioned on the irrigation system and other components of the control system are positioned remotely from the irrigation system.