Method and apparatus for the automatic regulation of the irrigation of plants

An apparatus for automatically controlling plant irrigation operations using an associated irrigation device, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one sensor configured to repeatedly measure soil moisture of soil irrigated by the irrigation device;
• and
• an evaluation electronics configured to calculate an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• wherein the apparatus is configured to alter the irrigation duration of a subsequent irrigation operation using the evaluation electronics by applying a correction to a previous application specific characteristic K, when a soil moisture value obtained by the at least one sensor after an irrigation operation conducted for an irrigation duration calculated using the previous application specific characteristic K deviates from a target upper moisture value, and
• wherein the applying the correction to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

An electronic controller for plant irrigation configured to be coordinated with a sensor for measuring soil moisture and with an irrigation device, the electronic controller comprising:

• an evaluation electronics configured to calculate an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• wherein the electronic controller is configured to alter the irrigation duration of a subsequent irrigation operation using the evaluation electronics by applying a correction to a previous application specific characteristic K, when a soil moisture value obtained by the sensor after an irrigation operation conducted for an irrigation duration calculated using the previous application specific characteristic K deviates from a target upper moisture value, and
• wherein the applying the correction to the previous application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

A method for automatic control of irrigation operations using an irrigation device, the method comprising:

• calculating an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• measuring soil moisture using a sensor after a soil irrigation operation for the calculated irrigation duration has been accomplished using the irrigation device to obtain a measured soil moisture value;
• comparing, by the aid of evaluation electronics, the measured soil moisture value with a predetermined target upper moisture limit value;
• and
• automatically controlling an irrigation duration for a subsequent soil irrigation operation, using the irrigation device, by applying an adjustment to the application specific characteristic K by which the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation is calculated, wherein said adjustment to the application specific characteristic K is calculated to effect that a subsequent soil moisture value measured using the sensor after the subsequent soil irrigation operation is closer to the predetermined target upper moisture limit value than the measured soil moisture value;
• wherein the applying the adjustment to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

An apparatus for automatically controlling plant irrigation operations using an associated irrigation device, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one sensor configured to repeatedly measure soil moisture of soil irrigated by the irrigation device;
• and
• an evaluation electronics configured to calculate an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• wherein the apparatus is configured to automatically control the irrigation duration of a subsequent soil irrigation operation using the evaluation electronics by comparing a target upper moisture value and a measured soil moisture value obtained by the at least one sensor after an irrigation operation has been conducted for an irrigation duration calculated using the application specific characteristic K, and by applying an adjustment to the application specific characteristic K to effect that a subsequent soil moisture value measured using the at least one sensor after the subsequent soil irrigation operation is closer to the predetermined target upper moisture limit value than the measured soil moisture value, and
• wherein the applying the adjustment to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

An electronic controller for plant irrigation configured to be coordinated with a sensor for measuring soil moisture and with an irrigation device, the electronic controller comprising:

• an evaluation electronics configured to calculate an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• wherein the electronic controller is configured to automatically control the irrigation duration of a subsequent soil irrigation operation using the evaluation electronics by comparing a target upper moisture value and a measured soil moisture value obtained by the sensor after an irrigation operation has been conducted for an irrigation duration calculated using the application specific characteristic K, and by applying an adjustment to the application specific characteristic K to effect that a subsequent soil moisture value measured using the sensor after the subsequent soil irrigation operation is closer to the predetermined target upper moisture limit value than the measured soil moisture value, and
• wherein the applying the adjustment to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

A method for automatically controlling irrigation operations using an irrigation device, the method comprising:

• repeatedly conducting the following sequence of automatically conducted steps:
• obtaining a soil moisture value FW2 by measuring soil moisture using a sensor after a soil irrigation operation has been conducted, using the irrigation device, for an irrigation duration calculated using evaluation elecronics and an application specific characteristic K;
• applying a correction to an application specific characteristic K, the correction depending on a deviation of the obtained soil moisture value FW2 from a predetermined target upper moisture limit value;
• and
• calculating a subsequent irrigation duration for a subsequent irrigation operation using evaluation electronics and the corrected application specific characteristic K and in dependence of a soil moisture value FW1 obtained by measuring soil moisture using the sensor before the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• wherein the applying the correction to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

An apparatus for automatically controlling plant irrigation operations using an associated irrigation device, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one sensor configured to repeatedly measure soil moisture of soil irrigated by the irrigation device;
• and
• an evaluation electronics configured to calculate an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• wherein the apparatus is configured to repeatedly automatically conduct the following sequence of steps:
• obtaining a soil moisture value FW2 by measuring soil moisture using the sensor after a soil irrigation operation has been conducted;
• applying a correction to the application specific characteristic K using the evaluation electronics, the correction depending on a deviation of the obtained soil moisture value FW2 from a predetermined target upper moisture limit value;
• and
• calculating, by the aid of the evaluation electronics, a subsequent irrigation duration for a subsequent irrigation operation using the corrected application specific characteristic K and in dependence of a soil moisture value FW1 obtained by measuring soil moisture using the sensor before the subseqent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• wherein the applying the correction to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.

An electronic controller for plant irrigation configured to be coordinated with a sensor for measuring soil moisture and with an irrigation device, the electronic controller comprising:

• an evaluation electronics configured to calculate an irrigation duration using an application specific characteristic K;
• wherein the electronic controller is configured to repeatedly automatically conduct the following sequence of steps:
• receiving from the sensor a soil moisture value FW2 obtained by the sensor by measuring soil moisture after a soil irrigation operation has been conducted;
• applying a correction to the application specific characteristic K using the evaluation electronics, the correction depending on a deviation of the received soil moisture value FW2 from a predetermined target upper moisture limit value;
• and
• calculating, by the aid of the evaluation electronics, subsequent irrigation duration for a subsequent irrigation operation by the aid of the corrected application specific characteristic K and in dependence of a soil moisture value FW1 received from the sensor obtained by the sensor by measuring soil moisture before the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• wherein the applying the correction to the application specific characteristic K is accomplished:
• by enlarging K to K+y with an absolute value y or to k*y with a factor y >1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value exceeds the target upper moisture limit value, thereby reducing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation;
• and
• by reducing K to K−x with an absolute value x or to k*x with a factor x <1, in an event that the obtained soil moisture value does not exceed the target upper moisture limit value, thereby increasing the subsequent irrigation duration for the subsequent soil irrigation operation.