A mobile drip irrigation system includes a plurality of drip tubes anchored at a first end to a water supply conduit. As the mobile irrigation system travels across a surface to be watered a second, free end of each drip tube is pulled along the surface to provide precise and uniform water distribution through the drip tubes. A cable extending across each section of the mobile irrigation system is attached to the plurality of drip tubes within that section, with the cable movable via a winch mechanism to shift the position of the drip tubes within that section to correspondingly shift the drag path of the tubes to a desired location. In exemplary embodiments, a lower manifold distributes water to the drip tubes, and in further embodiments a support restraint provides support to the lower manifold.

A system, method and apparatus for monitoring and providing maintenance updates for irrigation filters. According to a first preferred embodiment, the present invention includes one or more load cells at one or more of the mounting feet of an in-line filter to actively measure the increased weight of the filter during irrigation operations. According to a further preferred embodiment, the weight sensor of the present invention may transmit its data to a processing unit, where the weight is compared to one or more stored weight values. Preferably, when the detected weight exceeds a threshold level, the system may trigger notices and/or remedial actions.

The present invention provides a system and method for analyzing sensor data related to an irrigation system. According to a preferred embodiment, the system includes algorithms for analyzing real-time, near real-time and historical data acquired from sensors in communication with a mechanized irrigation machine. Further, the algorithms of the present invention system may analyze collected sensor data to determine if an event has occurred or is predicted to occur. Further, the algorithms of the present invention may provide commands to an irrigation machine and notifications to users. According to further aspects of the present invention, the algorithms of the present invention may preferably apply machine learning and other data analysis tools to detect maintenance patterns, geographic trends, environmental trends, and to provide predictive analysis for future events.

The present invention provides a solar power system for use with a mechanized irrigation system. According to a first preferred embodiment, the solar power system of the present includes solar panels which produce DC current which is used to power the irrigation system and to store water in an elevated storage tank. The systems of the present invention selectively use the water stored in the elevated storage tank to provide water pressure to the irrigation system. According to a further preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention preferably converts the power from the solar panels to AC current and uses AC current to power the movement of the irrigation system and other sub-systems.

An overcurrent protection system for a mobile irrigation system. The overcurrent protection system includes a number of control panels each including a controller configured to generate a motor control signal for activating one of the motors of the mobile irrigation system, transmit the motor control signal to the motor, determine a current magnitude of electrical current passing through a motor power branch line electrically connected to the motor, and restrict current to the motor if the current magnitude is above a current magnitude threshold. The controller is further configured to set the current magnitude threshold according to one of a plurality of motor operation stages. The current magnitude threshold can also be set remotely.

A travelling agricultural irrigation installation is provided having multiple generally horizontal irrigation sprinklers each being a length of pipe closed at each end and having multiple outlet orifice sets along the length thereof. Each orifice is in the form of a hole through the pipe wall having an orifice diameter selected to provide, in use, a jet of water that breaks up into droplets. Each orifice set comprises multiple orifices having axes extending in different angular directions relative to the pipe axis to provide a generally rectangular spray pattern. The length of each sprinkler pipe or the number of orifice sets is dependent on the speed at which the sprinkler is to move over the ground. Typically the installation is a centre pivot installation; the sprinkler pipes are all connected to a common radial main supply pipe; and the water delivery increases with increased distance from the centre pivot.

A center pivot irrigation system is described that includes a controller that makes use of a particular flow rate of input water to deliver differing or variable depths of irrigation to two or more user-defined areas under a pivot irrigator. The controller operates to pulse control valves for the nozzles/sprinkler heads on and off as the sprinkler arm rotates. The valve pattern along the span of the sprinkler arm is chosen during each operating cycle such that the total water flow through all the open valves matches the flow rate of the input or supply water to the pivot irrigator. To ensure the variable application depth, the speed may be changed during valve duty cycles. A farmer may define an irrigation plan that defines the variable rate irrigation (VRI) zones and also defines exclusion or no spray zones in which no irrigation should occur.

Embodiments for crop-specific automated irrigation of an environmental medium and management of nutrients therein. In one aspect, operation of an irrigation apparatus can be regulated according to specific water demand of a crop. The water demand can be assessed by evaluating water content conditions of the environmental medium comprising the crop, medium characteristics, and/or nutrient delivery and transport characteristics at the medium. Regulation of operation of the irrigation apparatus can comprise control of one or more of water supply to the apparatus, positioning and/or movement of the irrigation apparatus, or configuration of sensing devices for collection of information suitable for such regulation.

An irrigation system with a variable-speed drive assembly compares electric power data of a motor as a function of the location of the motor against stored historical electric power data for the motor to determine acceptable electric power data thresholds for purposes of diagnosing and predicting pending functionality complications of the variable-speed drive assembly.

A computer-implemented method of relaying data of an irrigation system comprises establishing, via a mobile device communication element, a connection with a component associated with the irrigation system; requesting, via the mobile device communication element, current operational data representing real-time measurements associated with operations of the irrigation system; receiving, via the mobile device communication element, signals representative of a first data stream comprising the current operational data of the irrigation system; and transmitting, via the mobile device communication element, a second data stream comprising at least a portion of the first data stream to a remote computing device.