|
Micro-precision application variable
reprogramable center pivot lay-by irrigation system places water precisely
where you want it, and easily reprograms as nursery conditions change*.
My idea essentially turns the arm of a center pivot irrigation system into a
lay- by type of watering system with almost scanner/printer like accuracy.
Enormous efficiency could be realized by making a center pivot irrigation
system with a series of individually controlled trickle or "Lay-by"
emitters with a computer controlled application program where each emitter
only turns on while over a plant. Variable flow rate valves would also help
for situations with extremely variable water use needs, such as a plant
nursery with varying size plants at varying disorderly spacings, varying crops
with widely varying water needs, and empty
spaces and possibly access paths or unplanted areas to remain dry under the
center pivot or transverse gantry-crane style irrigation systems. Here is a
sketch of a center pivot truss with a bunch of lay-by tubes suspended to apply
water accurately over the ground:
|
Visualize this:
An ink jet printer that doubles as a scanner:
1) You scan an aerial photo of the planted field
2) next time the photo passes through the scanner/printer, ink is applied to
all the places there is a plant and no where else.
|
All right, this sounds like a really, really stupid idea, making black places
all over a photo of your field of plants. But the above analogy describes what the
arm of this center-pivot irrigation system does as it passes over the field.
This would be extremely efficient in places with limited water resources.
It is also easily reprogrammable; kind of like being able to move a drip
irrigation system just by reprogramming a computer. I would suggest the
following reprogramming system:
Equip each emitter with an adjacent associated electronic eye kind of thing
that aims straight down. (there must also be a series of semi-permanent match
marks along the perimeter of the area covered by the sprinkler in order to to
periodically verify the location of the pivot and adjust the water application
appropriately, I would suggest some sort of match-mark every several feet of
perimeter)
To reprogram how much water flows, and exactly where it flows to:
1) use some sort of dark powder on any light colored surface (better not
reprogram the whole thing while plants are in blooming, unless you can use
the color blooms themselves as in indicator of needed water application) to
start with what the system will recognize as a "blank-slate"
2) Apply some sort of reflective light colored powder, like Gypsum or Lime
directly on the top of all areas you want to water. In other words, throw
the white stuff by hand all over your plants to turn them white.
3) Activate the light sensing eyes, programmed to read and record exactly
where the light colored places are, then run the system (water OFF) through
one rotation (or one sweep of the field if a gantry type system).
4) program the system to water where the light places were every time it
turns around and waters.
Spaced every few inches along the length of the irrigation boom, we
have:
I got this idea thinking about irrigation for my plant nursery... Does anyone
know if there is already a system like this? If anyone finds this idea useful,
please tell me! I have no plans to actually build or try to patent this system;
I'd love it if it got put to good use somewhere. The advantages are that it is
easily reprogramable, and extremely precise and efficient.
Precision application variable programmable center pivot irrigation
system
But it does not look like my idea of "precision"!
Never mind just subdividing the truss output into 10' sections like this
article suggests- my idea
suggests a series of independently controlled lay by type emitters spaced like
4" - 6" apart so that you could, for example, irrigate only a single
6" boxwood in the middle of a 6' open area with minimal wasted water.
Variable application of insecticides, fertilizers, and chemicals would
have to be with on a linear or sector shaped basis in the case of center
pivot, or divided by rectangular area in the case of a gantry crane style
application system.
*I do not make, sell, nor manufacture these systems! This
irrigation system does not exist yet any place except in my (Ned's) mind. I made up
this webpage hoping someone would like the concept and actually build it and
make a system like this commercially available. If you find this webpage
useful, I'd like to hear about it, so please email
me!
|