Systems, methods, and apparatuses for adaptive irrigation zone control using pressure, time, flow, and predicted behavior

A method for controlling a hydraulic system, the method comprising:

• monitoring a pressure in a water line via a pressure sensor, and a flow rate in a water line via a flow meter;
• determining when one or more of the pressure and the flow rate are outside of a target operational range;
• when one or more of the pressure and the flow rate are determined to be outside of the target operational range, identifying one or more valves that are associated with a predicted pressure and flow rate change sufficient to return the pressure and the flow rate to within the target operational range;
• providing instructions to change a position of the one or more identified valves;
• comparing the predicted pressure and flow rate change to a measured pressure and flow rate after the position of the one or more identified valves has changed to a new position to determine an effectiveness of the new position of the one or more identified valves, wherein the effectiveness is based on a difference between the predicted pressure and flow rate change and the measured pressure and flow rate;
• and
• ranking the effectiveness of the new position of the one or more identified valves in relation to previous valve positions,
• wherein identifying future valve changes to maintain the pressure and flow rate within the target operational range is performed by determining which combination of valve positions has the highest ranked effectiveness for a desired pressure and flow rate change.

A hydraulic control system comprising:

• a memory to store predicted pressure changes and predicted flow rate changes for valve positional changes of a hydraulic system;
• and
• a processing unit to:
• receive a pressure measurement for a water line of a hydraulic system from a pressure sensor, and a flow rate measurement for a water line of the hydraulic system from a flow meter;
• compare the pressure measurement and the flow rate measurement to a target operational range;
• correlate pressure changes and flow rate changes with a plurality of valves of the hydraulic system;
• compare a predicted pressure and flow rate change to a measured pressure and flow rate change after a valve positional change, the comparison to determine an effectiveness of the valve positional change, wherein the effectiveness is based on a difference between the predicted pressure and flow rate change and the measured pressure and flow rate change;
• rank the effectiveness of the valve positional change and previous valve positional changes;
• identify, when the pressure measurement and the flow rate measurement are outside of the target operational range, a new valve positional change for one or more valves of the plurality of valves correlated with predicted pressure changes and predicted flow rate changes sufficient to return the pressure measurement and the flow rate measurement to within the target operational range, wherein the new valve positional change is identified base on determining which combination of valves has the highest ranked effectiveness for a desired pressure and flow rate change;
• and
• provide instructions for the new valve positional change to the one or more valves.