referring first to fig1 farms or fields are shown at 10 , with a remote central computer at 11 . remote computers 12 are associated with the farms . the central computer 11 serves to provide backup data storage ; and to provide updated information to the remote computers . transmission between the remote computers and the central computer is via ordinary telephone lines , indicated at 13 . each remote computer can handle many separate fields at a farm . in fig2 a typical farm 15 includes several fields 15a . associated with each farm 15 is a remote computer 16 which is able to communicate via radio or other means with various sensor and control units 17 and 18 located throughout the farm or fields . each field is typically instrumented with several soil sensor stations or units ; in fig2 three such soil sensor stations are shown in one field and spaced along and between crop rows 200 . in actual practice , many fields could be instrumented , and with as many sensor stations as are needed to characterize that field , i . e . to develop soil moisture data characteristic of the field . additionally , a weather station 19 is provided and may be located in any field . this station supplies data including , but not limited to : temperature , humidity , wind velocity , wind direction , isolation ( sun intensity ), and rainfall amount . antennas associated with the described elements are indicated at 16a , 17a , 18a and 19a . also , the system is able to control irrigation ( start and stop pumps , open and close valves , etc .) for those farms where such facilities are available . see for example pump or valve 20 connected at 21 with controller 18 . the pump or valve typically controls water flow to one or more of the fields 15a . there is also means ( for example telephone or radio 22 , and link 23 ) for the system to communicate with the farmer or other human . this capability allows the farmer to obtain reports on the system &# 39 ; s operation , to manually overide the system &# 39 ; s activities ( for example , to inhibit irrigation in a field where harvesting is planned ); and for those farms where automatic control of pumps or valves is unavailable , to advise the farmer of recommended irrigation schedules . fig3 shows a typical portable soil sensor station 17 . it comprises a self - contained unit which is placed in the field , and operates to telemeter data indicative of the moisture level in the soil in the vicinity of the active region of the crop roots at that portion of the field where the station is located . the station is designed so that it can be easily installed in the field , and easily removed , so as to facilitate harvesting and field preparation . the support shaft or mast 26 has a lower portion 26a incorporating or carrying the moisture sensitive elements 27a of the soil sensors 27 . optionally , the moisture sensor elements 27a can be mounted separate from support 26 . the soil sensor , such as tensiometer elements , are placed in proximity with the active areas of the plant roots 28 as by implanting the lower portion 26a underground , i . e . below ground level 29 . ( sensors other than tensiometers are usable ). note tapered lower portion 26b of that mast , easily forced into the earth . markers 30 on the mast indicate depth of soil penetration . the units 17 may be placed along rows of planted crops , and the construction described above allows the sensors to take up a minimum of space along the rows , with minimum interference with farm operations . alternatively , the soil sensors can be placed , separately or in common , on support shafts and connected to the remainder of the unit by wires or other means . this allows separation among the soil sensor elements . see for example sensors 227 in fig3 a , separate from mast 26 but connected by wires 228 with cable 204 in the mast ( shown in fig3 b ) as via circuitry in case 225 . the sensors are located at the lower ends of plastic pipes 230 filled with sand to assure continued contact between the sensor tips and the surrounding soil . pipes 230 are of different lengths . the support shaft or mast 26 also has an upper or above ground portion 26c which provides a mounting means for : a radio antenna 17a or other means of telemetry ; a protective case 32 which contains electrical components , such as transmitters , receivers ; etc ; and a solar panel 33 to provide electrical power to the electrical devices at the station 17 . alternatively , the protective case may be mounted below ground , or may be detached from support shaft 26 . see case 225 in fig3 a , for example . in order to facilitate farming operations , a means is provided which allows the supporting shaft to bend laterally and downwardly , so that farming operations , such as cultivation or plowing , could be conducted with the sensing unit still in place . such means may take the form of a coil spring 202 attached to the mast sections 26d and 26e in fig3 b , near ground level . if the mast upper section is struck by a farm vehicle , it bends from upright ( see axis 203 ) to a lateral and downward position ( see axis 203a ). the data transmitting cable 204 in the tubular mast also bends . examples of usable soil sensors are tensiometers described in u . s . patent 3 , 224 , 676 , soil moisture samplers as described in u . s . patent 4 , 197 , 866 , or other appropriate devices . their vertical spacing enables ascertainment of soil moisture data at two or more depths , for establishing a moisture gradient . fig4 illustrates the electrical components of a typical sensor station 17 . power developed at the solar panel 33 is delivered at 34 to a voltage regulator circuit 35 and used to charge a rechargable battery 36 . the system typically provides power without wires , and allows power availability during times without sunlight . power from the rechargable battery is supplied at 37 to all other states of the unit . alternatively , especially in the case of units associated with pumps or valves , power can be obtained from the power mains , with or without benefit of a rechargable battery used to supply power in case of power mains interruptions . see mains 205 , voltage regulator 206 , and protective rectifier 207 . commands from the remote computer 16 are received via antenna 17a and receiver - amplifier 38 , and then sent at 39 to a controller 40 . the latter verifies that the commands were addressed to the particular sensor station ; and determines the measurement desired . when an appropriate activating command is received , the signals from the soil moisture sensors , as sensed by transducers 41 , are used to modulate the transmitted waveform . for example , the voltage outputs of transducers 41 modulate ( at modulator 42 ) the waveform transmitted via transmitter 43 ). thus , the signals are telemetered back to the remote computer 16 upon command . it is also a desirable characteristic of the system that the controller can be directed to collect soil data automatically , and to report the collected data to the remote computer at different or less frequent times . fig5 shows a representation of the circuitry in the weather station 19 . data including , but not limited to , the following are collected by conventional instruments 44 - 49 ; temperature , windspeed , wind direction , humidity , insolation , and rainfall . these instruments , together with encoder 50 , transmitter 51 and receiver 52 components are carried by a mast or shaft 53 ( like shaft 26 ) and adapted to be removably implanted in the soil , or mounted in any other convenient manner . the remote computer 16 addresses the weather station through antenna 19a and the radio receiver 52 , or other communication system as may be provided . upon receipt of such a command , an enabling signal is transmitted at 54 to the encoder 50 , enabling it to encode the collected weather data ( fed to the encoder at 55 ), and transmit same to the remote computer ( via transmitter 51 and antenna 19a ). fig6 shows a typical pump control / monitor station 18 . its purpose is to allow the remote computer to command the pumps to start or stop ; and to allow data concerning the pump &# 39 ; s operation to be transmitted to the remote computer . transmitted commands from the remote computer 16 are received via antenna 18a and receiver 60 , and processed by a controller 61 . depending on the particular command , the controller can either control the pump ; or it can collect data about the pump &# 39 ; s operation . if the command is to control the pump , then controller 61 enables at 62 a power controller 63 , which turns the power to the pump 20 on or off as appropriate . a power meter appears at 64 . various parameters concerning the operation of the pump are encoded and stored . such parameters include , but are not limited to power consumption , flow , current consumption , pumping depth and status of hand operated controls . in addition , means may be provided by which a person at the pump site can communicate with the computer and influence control . for example , the energy consumption or the water flow is encoded at 65 and telemetered at 66 . data from water meter 67 is transmitted at 68 to the encoder , and data from the power meter 64 is transmitted at 69 to the encoder . the physical construction of the pump control / monitor station is similar to the soil sensor station shown in fig3 i . e . the components 18a , and 60 - 69 may be carried by a mast or shaft 70 removably implanted in the soil , adjacent pump 20 , or mounted in other convenient manner . fig7 shows the remote computer 16 , which collects data from the fields , makes decision about optimal irrigation strategy , communicates with the central computer , and communicates with the farmer . the internal characteristics of the remote computer are illustrated in the following figures . the remote computer is able to communicate with the central computer using a modem ( modulator - demodulator ) 71 of conventional design , such as a bell type 103 . in turn , communication is through existing telephone network 13 . control / display function at 72 is provided using potentiometers , switches , dials , which indicate the status of the internal circuits and allow control thereof . a radio transmitter / receiver or other means of communication with the sensors and controllers in the field is provided by antenna 16a , receiver 74 and transmitter 75 . in operation , data is collected in the computer memory from the soil sensors which indicates the free moisture in various portions of each field . weather data is collected from the weather station . means is provided to supply data to the computer indicative of the consumptive use characteristics of the crop ( the variations in water consumption throughout the growing seasons ). characteristics such as soil type , irrigation flow rate , etc . are thereby applied . the farmer can provide additional information , such as &# 34 ; water now &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; do not water &# 34 ;, etc . using all the above factors , the remote computer develops a predictive model of the amount of soil moisture in each field ; and predicts the optimal irrigation strategy . in this regard it is distinctive , and is predictive , rather than reactive . the predictive model implemented in the remote computer can be implemented in many ways , and fig8 shows one possible implementation using analog electronic circuits . voltages corresponding to temperature , insolation ( sun intensity ) and humidity are derived from data collected by the weather station . these voltages supplied on lines 76 - 78 are summed at 79 with appropriate weighting . the humidity , in this case , would have a negative weight , represented by the invertor 80 in the figure . the exact weighting factors would vary from case to case , and can be varied as by controls 76a , 77a and 78a . the weighted summing can be implemented in several ways , one of which would be conventional operational amplifiers . the result of this weighted summing would be a voltage ( transmitted at 81 ) which is an analog of the overall weather situation , hotter , dryer weather would in general be represented by a greater voltage . this signal is also optionally displayed at 82 to the human operator . it is labelled &# 34 ; weather factor &# 34 ; in the figure . another input to the system is a voltage ( supplied at 84 ) which is an analog of the soil characteristics . since this factor would be constant over extended periods of time , it may be set by a potentiometer 85 . in the particular model shown , a higher voltage would be analogous to sandy soil , in which water was rapidly lost through downward percolation . a lower voltage would represent clayey soil which tended to retain water . a third input at 86 is a voltage analogous to the consumptive use of the crop . this is labelled &# 34 ; consumptive use factor &# 34 ; in the figure . it corresponds to the rate at which water is consumed by the plants themselves . a greater voltage represents greater water consumption , such as during a very active growing phase . the consumptive use factor depends on the crop type , location , phase of the growing season , etc . fig9 shows one means for developing this voltage analog . the three factors described above - weather factor , soil factor , and consumptive use factor - are in turn processed by a weighted summing circuit 90 . the output 91 of this circuit , labelled &# 34 ; water use factor &# 34 ; is an analog of the overall water lost from the soil for all reasons in the model . a voltage is stored on capacitor c . this voltage appearing at 92 is labelled &# 34 ; modelled soil moisture &# 34 ;, and is an analog of the estimate of the amount of water stored in the soil . the water use factor is used to control a voltage controlled resistor 93 . a greater water use factor would cause the resistance to decrease . such a decrease would cause capacitor c to discharge at a greater rate . the discharge current at 94 is labelled &# 34 ; water loss &# 34 ; in the figure . thus , the foregoing is a model of the depletion of water from the soil . in the particular model shown in the figure , water can be added to the soil from two sources : rainfall and irrigation . a voltage analogous of the rate of rainfall is developed at 95 from data collected from the weather stations . this is labelled &# 34 ; rainfall rate &# 34 ; in the figure . no rainfall is represented by zero volts , and greater rainfall is represented by greater voltages . a current proportional to the rate of rainfall at 96 through the variable resistor 97 labelled rainfall scale factor , and charges the capacitor c . this causes an increase in the modelled soil moisture . the imedance of the rainfall scale factor resistor is determined by the particular location , and factors such as the portion of rainfall which is absorbed by the soil , rather than drained away and lost , etc . a second method by which the modelled soil moisture can be increased is if irrigation is performed . thus , if the model issues an &# 34 ; irrigate &# 34 ; command ( in a manner to be described below ) then relay y is energized . current flows from source 100 through the variable resistor 98 labelled &# 34 ; irrigation rate factor &# 34 ;, and charges capacitor c . this , in turn , increases the modelled soil moisture . the irrigation rate factor resistor is adjusted to represent the particular installation ; for example , large pumps would be modelled by a small value of the resistor , and corresponding large currents . the result of the foregoing is the modelled soil moisture . it is an estimate of the water stored in the soil , and available to the plants . however , the model described so far has no provision for adjusting the model to approximate the actual measured values of soil moisture . the following is one means to accomplish this correction , and prevent the model from becoming grossly different from actuality . voltages analogous to the measured soil moisture levels are developed . these are based on the data obtained from the soil sensor stations described previously . they are labelled &# 34 ; soil moisture levels &# 34 ; 101 in the figure ; higher voltages represent greater measured moistures . these voltages are applied to a circuit 102 which produces as its output 103 a voltage analogous to the overall moisture level in the field and which is a function of levels 101 . the exact functional relationship between the several soil moisture levels , and the representative single value , labelled &# 34 ; present water factor &# 34 ; in the figure could be any one of many . for example , on possibility would be for the present water factor to be the simple average of the several soil moisture levels . another possibility might be to use the lowest of the soil moisture levels , thus basing actions on the dryest . another might be to use the tenth percentile , or other means . in any case , a single voltage analogous of the overall actual condition of soil moisture is developed at 103 . the modelled soil moisture signal 92 is then compared with the actual overall soil moisture ( signal 103 ) in a differencing circuit 104 . the output 105 of this differencing circuit is a correction factor which represent error in the model when compared to actuality . this correction factor is passed through a low pass circuit 106 which eliminates short term difference , and develops a signal 107 labelled &# 34 ; long term averaged difference &# 34 ;. this voltage is analogous to the long term difference between the modelled soil moisture and the observed soil moisture . the long term averaged difference signal 107 is summed in summing circuit 109 with the modelled soil moisture signal 42 to produce a signal 110 labelled &# 34 ; corrected modelled soil moisture &# 34 ; in the figure . this is the model &# 39 ; s best estimate of the soil moisture . another input to the system is a voltage 111 labelled &# 34 ; desired soil moisture level &# 34 ; in the figure . this could be set by a potentiometer at 112 if it remains relatively constant , or could be generated by a device such as is shown in fig9 . this is analogous to the desired level of moisture in the soil ; and depends on the crop type , location and other factors ; and may in some cases vary through the growing season . the desired soil moisture can also be set to a very high value or a very low value , using the switch labelled &# 34 ; override control &# 34 ; 113 . in any case the desired soil moisture is compared with the corrected modelled soil moisture , in the comparator 114 . if the desired moisture is less than the corrected model , then the output 115 of the comparator goes high , and irrigation is commenced via pump controls 61 and 62 . a display 116 also indicates the beginning of irrigation , and relay y is energized , so that the modelled soil moisture can be adjusted to reflect the beginning of irrigation . when the corrected model of soil moisture reaches the level of the desired moisture , the output of the comparator goes low , a command to discontinue irrigation is issued , and relay y is deenergized . thus , the model in the figure and described here is one means to provide a predictive model of soil moisture , and an optimal means of irrigation control . certain signals used by the model described previously may vary throughout the growing season . these include the consumptive use of water by plants ; and also the desired soil moisture levels . fig9 shows one means to develop these signals . a narrow , parallel beam of light 120 is generated . one known way to do this would be with a lens system and shutters . this beam of light is directed through a strip of photographic film 121 of other material which has been prepared with a clear ( transparent ) region 122 and an opague region 123 . the strip of film is slowly moved from a supply spool 124 to a take - up spool 125 during the course of the growing season . at any time in the season , the portion of the film through which the light shines has a transparent area which is analogous to the value of the appropriate signal ( consumptive use ) at that time . the light which then passes through the strip is proportional to the portion of the strip which is transparent . the light is concentrated by a lens 126 and is used to illuminate a photocell 127 . thus , the voltaged developed by the photocell is representative of the desired signal . a very slow speed drive for the take - up spool is indicated at 128 . representative commercially available components indicated in blocks in the above description , are listed as follows : ______________________________________components model and manufacturer______________________________________11 digital equipment corp . pdp - 11 / 70 computer16 digital equipment corp . pdp - 11 / 03 computer20 rainbird ep - 300 - f27 irrometer33 photowatt international ma 232035 motorola mc781238 repco 810 - 05540 energy management 812041 energy management 812042 creative micro systems 9651 - 50943 repco 810 - 03844 weather measure t 62145 weather measure w 12146 weather measure w 12147 weather measure h 35248 weather measure r 41349 weather measure p53250 creative micro systems 9651 - 51351 repco 810 - 03852 repco 810 - 05560 repco 810 - 05561 creative micro systems 9651 - 50563 westinghouse bf - 02 - f64 general electric dsw 4365 creative micro systems 9651 - 51366 repco 810 - 03867 brooks instruments 1071 racal - vadic va 30572 teletype 4374 repco 810 - 05575 repco 810 - 03879 national semiconductor lm 32480 national semiconductor lm 32490 national semiconductor lm 324102 national semiconductor lm 324104 national semiconductor lm 324106 national semiconductor af - 150109 national semiconductor lm 324114 national semiconductor lm 311______________________________________
irrigation control apparatus includes : a mast having a lower portion adapted to be removably inserted into the earth , soil moisture sensing structure associated with or separate from said lower portion of the mast , and data transmitting apparatus on an upper portion of the mast and operatively connected with said sensing structure for transmitting to a central station data indicative of soil moisture conditions at the location of the mast .