WO2015140804A1 - Drip irrigation system that includes illumination - Google Patents

Drip irrigation system that includes illumination Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015140804A1
WO2015140804A1 PCT/IL2015/050290 IL2015050290W WO2015140804A1 WO 2015140804 A1 WO2015140804 A1 WO 2015140804A1 IL 2015050290 W IL2015050290 W IL 2015050290W WO 2015140804 A1 WO2015140804 A1 WO 2015140804A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
water pipe
waterproof housing
lighting
drip irrigation
water
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IL2015/050290
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Shlomo MINA
Original Assignee
Mina Shlomo
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mina Shlomo filed Critical Mina Shlomo
Publication of WO2015140804A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015140804A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G25/00—Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like
    • A01G25/02—Watering arrangements located above the soil which make use of perforated pipe-lines or pipe-lines with dispensing fittings, e.g. for drip irrigation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V33/00—Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
    • F21W2131/00—Use or application of lighting devices or systems not provided for in codes F21W2102/00-F21W2121/00
    • F21W2131/10—Outdoor lighting
    • F21W2131/109—Outdoor lighting of gardens
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
    • F21Y2103/00—Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
    • F21Y2103/10—Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
    • F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
    • F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
    • Y02A40/10—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture
    • Y02A40/22—Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of irrigation systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a drip irrigation system that includes decorative illumination.
  • Drip irrigation also known as trickle irrigation or micro irrigation or localized irrigation
  • trickle irrigation is an irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of water pipes or hoses. It is done through narrow holes that deliver water directly to the base of the plant.
  • the present invention relates to a drip irrigation system with illumination, comprising:
  • a drip irrigation system that includes at least one water pipe
  • a waterproof housing that accommodates a string of electrically connected lighting elements, wherein said waterproof housing is adapted to be integrated with said water pipe;
  • a control unit coupled to the said lighting element for controlling the activation of each of said lighting element, thereby providing a visual lighting effect.
  • the integration of the waterproof housing and the water pipe is obtained by introducing said waterproof housing within and along the inner space of said water pipe.
  • the integration of the waterproof housing and the water pipe is obtained by attaching said waterproof housing along the outer surface of said water pipe.
  • the lighting elements are LEDs.
  • the waterproof housing is flexible.
  • At least one water pipe is transparent.
  • the waterproof the housing is transparent.
  • the system further comprises water and environment-resistive connectors for electrically connecting the control unit and/or additional sections of water pipe with lighting elements.
  • the system further comprises an irrigation controller.
  • Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an illumination system, according to an embodiment of the invention
  • Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a section of typical water pipe that is part of a conventional drip irrigation system
  • Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a drip irrigation system that includes the illumination system of Fig. 1, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • lighting system is used to indicate a chain of electrically connected lighting elements (e.g., LEDs) adapted to perform one or more lighting effects.
  • lighting elements e.g., LEDs
  • This term does not imply any particular shape, construction material or geometry, and invention is applicable to all suitable lighting elements.
  • the present invention relates to a drip irrigation system that integrates a water resistance illumination system with network of water pipes, either by introducing one within the other or by coupling them one against the other in parallel.
  • the principal aim of the invention is generally directed towards public or private open areas such as parks, gardens, stadiums, plazas, greenhouses, buildings, homes, etc.
  • the integrated system of the present invention can be used for aesthetic or public purposes.
  • the system further comprises an electronic control unit for controlling the lighting sequence of the illumination system and for providing a variety of lighting effects.
  • Fig. 1 shows an illumination system that can be used in conjunction with the invention.
  • the illumination system illustrated in this figure is particularly convenient because it can be applied as an ac -on device to an existing drip irrigation water pipe without the need to car ⁇ out major alterations in the structure.
  • the illumination system generally indicated by numeral 1 in the figure comprises a waterproof housing 2 for accommodating the lighting elements 3 and the wiring that electrically connect them, and a control unit 4 coupled to the lighting elements 3.
  • the waterproof housing is flexible.
  • Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a section of a typical water pipe 5 that is part of a common drip irrigation water pipes network.
  • the narrow holes that allow water to drip slowly are indicated by numeral 6.
  • Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the integration of the illumination system 1 within the water pipe 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the system of the present invention can be structured and its elements combined such that the illumination system 1 is introduced within the interior space of the water pipe 5.
  • the lighting elements 3 and the wiring that connect them are located within the water pipe 5.
  • the main structure of the system may include a transparent water pipe provided with a plurality of electrically linked lighting elements (e.g., a flexible LED strip such as the 3MTM LED Tape Light) that are deployed along the interior of the water pipe in a garland-like manner as shown in Fig. 3.
  • a plurality of electrically linked lighting elements e.g., a flexible LED strip such as the 3MTM LED Tape Light
  • the waterproof housing 2 encases the submerged elements of the illumination system such as the electrical lighting elements 3 (e.g., LEDs) and the corresponding wiring, and thereby protects them from the water.
  • the waterproof housing 2 can be at least partially transparent, in particular at the area around the lighting elements 3.
  • the control unit 4 controls the lighting sequence of the lighting elements 3 and by a logical circuit (e.g., predefined programing) it activates one or more group or a single lighting element 3 in a different timing and/or colors. Thus a variety of lighting effects can be created.
  • the control unit 4 may also function as an irrigation controller.
  • at least one end the waterproof housing 2 or the lighting elements 3 and the wiring that electrically connect them is provided with a submersible connector or other suitable water and environment-resistive connectors for electrically connecting the control unit and/or additional sections of water pipe with lighting elements.
  • a submersible connector allows extending the length of the illuminated drip irrigation system, by serially connecting a plurality of water pipes with illumination installed within them.
  • the integration of the illumination S3 stem and the water pipe is done by coupling them in parallel (along their length), such that the external surface of the waterproof housing of the illumination system and outer surface of the water pipe are deployed one against the other.
  • the coupling can be done by using any suitable attaching/connecting means, such as plurality of double pipe clips, adhesive, etc.
  • control unit 4 may be implemented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an application program that runs on an operating system on a microprocessor, those skilled in the art will recognize that the control unit 4 may also be implemented in combination with other program computer system and program modules.
  • program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks such as activating each group of lighting elements in a different timing to generate a desired visual effect.
  • control unit 4 may be practiced with additional or other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.
  • the control unit 4 may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
  • program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
  • Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media.
  • the computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
  • the computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
  • the functions of creating the lighting effects may be performed by executable code and instructions stored in computer readable medium and running on one or more processor-based systems.
  • state machines, and/or hardwired electronic circuits or mechanism can also be utilized. All the above description and examples have been given for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. Many different mechanisms, electronic and logical elements can be employed, all without exceeding the scope of the invention.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drip irrigation system with illumination, comprising a) a drip irrigation system that includes at least one water pipe; b) a waterproof housing that accommodates a string of electrically connected lighting elements, wherein said waterproof housing is adapted to be integrated with said water pipe; and c) a control unit coupled to the said lighting element for controlling the activation of each of said lighting element, thereby providing a visual lighting effect.

Description

DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES ILLUMINATION Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of irrigation systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a drip irrigation system that includes decorative illumination.
Background of the invention
Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or micro irrigation or localized irrigation, is an irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of water pipes or hoses. It is done through narrow holes that deliver water directly to the base of the plant.
However, such water pipes network lacks any decorative aspect, and in order to illuminate the plants being irrigated by such water pipes, an installation of an external illuminating system is required.
It is an object of the present invention to integrate two existing systems applicable to open areas, lighting systems and watering systems, in a novel and unique way, such that the utilization of these two systems is unified into one system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system which is capable of illuminating a network of drip irrigation pipes in a decorative manner.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds. Summary of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drip irrigation system with illumination, comprising:
a. a drip irrigation system that includes at least one water pipe;
b. a waterproof housing that accommodates a string of electrically connected lighting elements, wherein said waterproof housing is adapted to be integrated with said water pipe; and
c. a control unit coupled to the said lighting element for controlling the activation of each of said lighting element, thereby providing a visual lighting effect.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the integration of the waterproof housing and the water pipe is obtained by introducing said waterproof housing within and along the inner space of said water pipe.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the integration of the waterproof housing and the water pipe is obtained by attaching said waterproof housing along the outer surface of said water pipe.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the lighting elements are LEDs.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the waterproof housing is flexible.
According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one water pipe is transparent.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the waterproof the housing is transparent. According to an embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises water and environment-resistive connectors for electrically connecting the control unit and/or additional sections of water pipe with lighting elements.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises an irrigation controller.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an illumination system, according to an embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a section of typical water pipe that is part of a conventional drip irrigation system; and
Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a drip irrigation system that includes the illumination system of Fig. 1, according to an embodiment of the invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Throughout this description the term "lighting system" is used to indicate a chain of electrically connected lighting elements (e.g., LEDs) adapted to perform one or more lighting effects. This term does not imply any particular shape, construction material or geometry, and invention is applicable to all suitable lighting elements.
The present invention relates to a drip irrigation system that integrates a water resistance illumination system with network of water pipes, either by introducing one within the other or by coupling them one against the other in parallel. The principal aim of the invention is generally directed towards public or private open areas such as parks, gardens, stadiums, plazas, greenhouses, buildings, homes, etc. The integrated system of the present invention can be used for aesthetic or public purposes. According to an embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises an electronic control unit for controlling the lighting sequence of the illumination system and for providing a variety of lighting effects.
Reference will now be made to several embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein. The terms, "for example", "e.g.", "optionally", as used herein, are intended to be used to introduce non-limiting examples.
Fig. 1 shows an illumination system that can be used in conjunction with the invention. The illumination system illustrated in this figure is particularly convenient because it can be applied as an ac -on device to an existing drip irrigation water pipe without the need to car^ out major alterations in the structure. The illumination system generally indicated by numeral 1 in the figure comprises a waterproof housing 2 for accommodating the lighting elements 3 and the wiring that electrically connect them, and a control unit 4 coupled to the lighting elements 3. According to an embodiment of the invention, the waterproof housing is flexible.
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a section of a typical water pipe 5 that is part of a common drip irrigation water pipes network. The narrow holes that allow water to drip slowly are indicated by numeral 6. Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the integration of the illumination system 1 within the water pipe 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the system of the present invention can be structured and its elements combined such that the illumination system 1 is introduced within the interior space of the water pipe 5.
In this embodiment, the lighting elements 3 and the wiring that connect them are located within the water pipe 5. For example, the main structure of the system may include a transparent water pipe provided with a plurality of electrically linked lighting elements (e.g., a flexible LED strip such as the 3M™ LED Tape Light) that are deployed along the interior of the water pipe in a garland-like manner as shown in Fig. 3.
In this embodiment, water that flows within the water pipe 5 surrounds the waterproof housing 2 (i.e., as long as water flows through the pipes). Therefore, the illumination system 1 is configured such that it will be unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under this submerged condition. According this embodiment, the waterproof housing 2 encases the submerged elements of the illumination system such as the electrical lighting elements 3 (e.g., LEDs) and the corresponding wiring, and thereby protects them from the water. The waterproof housing 2 can be at least partially transparent, in particular at the area around the lighting elements 3.
The control unit 4 controls the lighting sequence of the lighting elements 3 and by a logical circuit (e.g., predefined programing) it activates one or more group or a single lighting element 3 in a different timing and/or colors. Thus a variety of lighting effects can be created. Optionally, the control unit 4 may also function as an irrigation controller. According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one end the waterproof housing 2 or the lighting elements 3 and the wiring that electrically connect them is provided with a submersible connector or other suitable water and environment-resistive connectors for electrically connecting the control unit and/or additional sections of water pipe with lighting elements. For example, such a submersible connector allows extending the length of the illuminated drip irrigation system, by serially connecting a plurality of water pipes with illumination installed within them.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the integration of the illumination S3 stem and the water pipe is done by coupling them in parallel (along their length), such that the external surface of the waterproof housing of the illumination system and outer surface of the water pipe are deployed one against the other. The coupling can be done by using any suitable attaching/connecting means, such as plurality of double pipe clips, adhesive, etc.
As will be appreciated by the skilled person the arrangement described in the figures results in a system that integrates two existing systems applicable to open areas, lighting systems and watering systems, in a novel and unique way, such that the utilization of these two systems is unified into one system that is capable of illuminating a network of drip irrigation pipes in a decorative manner.
Turning now to the logical circuit, the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the control unit 4 may be implemented. While the control unit 4 can described in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an application program that runs on an operating system on a microprocessor, those skilled in the art will recognize that the control unit 4 may also be implemented in combination with other program computer system and program modules.
Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks such as activating each group of lighting elements in a different timing to generate a desired visual effect. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the control unit 4 may be practiced with additional or other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The control unit 4 may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
The functions of creating the lighting effects may be performed by executable code and instructions stored in computer readable medium and running on one or more processor-based systems. However, state machines, and/or hardwired electronic circuits or mechanism can also be utilized. All the above description and examples have been given for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. Many different mechanisms, electronic and logical elements can be employed, all without exceeding the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A drip irrigation system with illumination, comprising:
a. a drip irrigation system that includes at least one water pipe;
b. a waterproof housing that accommodates a string of electrically connected lighting elements, wherein said waterproof housing is adapted to be integrated with said water pipe; and
c. a control unit coupled to the said lighting element for controlling the activation of each of said lighting element, thereby providing a visual lighting effect.
2. A system according to claim 1, in which the integration of the waterproof housing and the water pipe is obtained by introducing said waterproof housing within and along the inner space of said water pipe.
3. A system according to claim 1, in which the integration of the waterproof housing and the water pipe is obtained by attaching said waterproof housing along the outer surface of said water pipe.
4. A system according to claim 1, in which the lighting elements are LEDs.
5. A system according to claim 1, in which the housing is flexible.
6. A system according to claim 1, in which the at least one water pipe is transparent.
7. A system according to claim 1, in which the housing is transparent.
8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a water and environment-resistive connectors for electrically connecting the control unit and/or additional sections of water pipe with lighting elements.
9. A system according to claim 1, further comprises an irrigation controller.
PCT/IL2015/050290 2014-03-20 2015-03-19 Drip irrigation system that includes illumination WO2015140804A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IL231643A IL231643A0 (en) 2014-03-20 2014-03-20 Drip irrigation system that includes illumination
IL231643 2014-03-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2015140804A1 true WO2015140804A1 (en) 2015-09-24

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WO (1) WO2015140804A1 (en)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4945675A (en) * 1988-08-23 1990-08-07 Kendrick Glen T Dividing, watering and lighting system for lawns
US8522372B1 (en) * 2011-08-10 2013-09-03 Matthew L. Lafon Illuminated pool fountain system

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4945675A (en) * 1988-08-23 1990-08-07 Kendrick Glen T Dividing, watering and lighting system for lawns
US8522372B1 (en) * 2011-08-10 2013-09-03 Matthew L. Lafon Illuminated pool fountain system

Also Published As

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