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Controlling Pivot Irrigation
Challenge
A municipality has over 30 farm fields irrigated with gray water using pivot irrigation systems. Local regulations prohibit the irrigation system from spraying over roads and ditches. The customer needs a solution that can reliably control the water flow to the end nozzle based on predetermined location coordinates.
Until now, the center pivot irrigation system uses mechanical switches to turn on and off the water flowing to the end nozzles to avoid spraying the roads and ditches adjacent to the field. These switches are unreliable and inaccurate.
The irrigation nozzles are mounted on a continuously rotating pivot irrigation arm, making it difficult to know the location of the end nozzle.
Solution
Banner’s GPS50M GPS Module, with an accuracy of 2.5 m (8 feet), combined with a pair of MultiHop Data Radios, creates a Modbus RTU network for the customer’s controller to retrieve coordinates from the GPS Module. The location coordinates for the end nozzle dictate whether or not the controller supplies water to the end nozzle. The GPS module determines the end nozzle's coordinates in longitude and latitude, with an accuracy of 8 feet.
Featured Products
GPS Receiver
Low power consumption, ability to withstand harsh environments, flexible power supply requirements and Modbus RTU communications makes this module ideal for the industrial market.
Serial Data Radios
Sure Cross® MultiHop Serial Data Radios are compact industrial, low-power wireless communication devices used to extend the range of serial communication networks.