# US 8,739,830 B2 · Irrigation systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,739,830 B2 - Document ID: US8739830B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/463,306 - Filed: 2009-05-08 - Published: 2009-11-12 - Granted: 2014-06-03 - Earliest claimed: 2008-05-12 - Assignees: Lindsay Corporation - Applicants: Stuart Francis Bradbury; Michael George Ricketts - Inventors: Stuart Francis Bradbury; Michael George Ricketts - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8739830B2 ## CPC - A01G 25/16: Control of watering - Y02A 40/22: Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion - Y10T 137/0318: Processes - Y10T 137/1866: For controlling soil irrigation - Y10T 137/402: Distribution systems involving geographic features - Y10T 137/86397: With independent valve controller - 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) - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An irrigation system includes a control arrangement which receives field information relating to an area to be irrigated and source information relating to one or more water sources which supply water to the irrigation system. The control arrangement optimizes an irrigation plan based on the field information and source information and then controls one or more irrigators in accordance with the plan. The control arrangement may pulse valves positioned on the irrigator on and off in order to control the amount of water applied to the land by individual outlets on the irrigator. Latching valves may be used. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An irrigation system including: a plurality of water outlets for delivering water to an area to be irrigated; a plurality of valves for controlling flow through the outlets; and a control arrangement configured to receive: source information relating to a water source; and field information relating to an area to be irrigated; the control arrangement being configured to control the valves so as to control flow through the outlets based at least in part on the source information and the field information, wherein the source information includes one or more of a maximum pressure and a minimum pressure, wherein the outlets are positioned on at least one irrigator, wherein the control arrangement is configured to control a speed of movement of the irrigator in response to the source information received by the control arrangement. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlets are positioned on a plurality of irrigators. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the irrigators are centre-pivot and/or lateral-move irrigators. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the source information includes one or more water quota parameters. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the source information includes one or more source pressure parameters. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the source pressure parameters include an actual pressure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the source information includes one or more source flow parameters. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the source flow parameters include one or more of: a maximum flow, a minimum flow and an actual flow. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least some of the source information is gathered and used to update irrigation parameters in real time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control arrangement is configured to receive field information relating to the area to be irrigated and to control the valves so as to control flow through the outlets based in part on the field information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the field information includes one or more of: aerial photographs, soil type maps, soil moisture maps and conductivity maps. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the field information includes one or more of: areas not to be irrigated, crop types and terrain information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the field information includes historical data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control arrangement includes a central controller configured to create and send control signals. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the outlets are positioned on at least one irrigator, wherein the control arrangement also includes a main controller for each irrigator in the irrigation system, each main controller receiving irrigator control signals from the central controller and controlling the valves on the corresponding irrigator in accordance with the control signals. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the control arrangement also includes a plurality of node controllers for each irrigator in the irrigation system, each node controller receiving node control signals from one of the main controllers and controlling a subset of valves on the corresponding irrigator. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the irrigator control signals are communicated over a wireless link. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the node control signals are communicated over a wireless link. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 18 wherein at least some of the node controllers also act as repeaters in the wireless link. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 including one or more positioning systems configured to determine the position of each irrigator in the irrigation system. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the positioning systems include one or more GPS receivers positioned on an irrigator. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the positioning systems include one or more shaft encoders for determining rotational position of centre-pivot irrigators. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the valves are latching valves. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control arrangement is configured to receive long term planning information and to control the valves based in part on this long term planning information. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the long term planning information includes one or more of: expected crop needs, expected crop need as a function of time, expected rainfall, expected rainfall as a function of time, and expected availability of water. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the plan is updated automatically or manually throughout the plan term due to changes in weather or other plan input conditions. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) An irrigation system as claimed in claim 1, including a chemical and/or fertilizer injection system adapted to introduce chemicals and/or fertilizers into the water flow and wherein the source information includes chemical and/or fertilizer source information.