Contrastación de hipótesis Hipótesis general

UgMO™ Technologies’ (UgMO) corporate headquarters is located in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The company has developed a wireless soil sensor system designed to control and/or monitor large and small landscape irrigation systems. The UgMO system is designed to save water and money, while protecting and enhancing the health of turf and landscapes. The two systems (PH100 and UG1000) utilize the UgMO wireless soil sensors to ensure that only the amount of water needed by a landscape is applied.

The system’s underlying network architecture, called SenLink™, consists of battery-powered sensors with built-in radio modules. These sensors are installed completely belowground and are capable of radio communication to aboveground repeaters, control units that may act on the data, or data bridges that port the data onto the Internet.

Sensor Description and Operation

The UgMo ProHome PH100WS wireless TDR-type sensor measures soil

moisture, temperature, and salinity at the root level of the plant in real-time, up to six times an hour, 24-hours a day. This wireless sensor data are transmitted to the UgMO Irrigation Controller or Base Station, both of which utilize its patented watering algorithms to deliver only the water the landscaping needs, zone-by-zone.

With two AA lithium batteries, sensors will operate for 5 to 7 years without replacement or other maintenance. The sensor dimensions are 3.9 by 1.2 by 1.6 inches. It is fully waterproof and corrosion resistant.

Belowground to aboveground communication is a challenging problem and UgMO has developed extensive intellectual property and expertise in making this feasible. Varying soil conditions (mainly moisture content), sensor depth, and antenna design complicate below to aboveground radio communication.

Repeaters receive sensor communication from the belowground sensors at 433 MHz and forward them over a frequency hopping link that operates in the US ISM band between 902 and 928 MHz. Currently, the system is configured for a minimum of a 2,000-foot range aboveground with direct line of site at an

antenna height of 5 feet with an integrated internal antenna. Other ranges are possible with different antenna and transmit power level configurations. UgMO repeaters are powered by connection to a hard-wired power source or photovoltaic cells. By using a number of repeaters, effective sensor transmission can be

extended to several kilometers.

Controller Descriptions, Prices, and Warranty The UG1000 system breaks the

traditional watering schedule paradigm. There are no scheduled cycle times to set and no complex site variables to enter. The 36-zone stand-alone controller is fully software upgradeable to incorporate future features. Its dimensions are 12.75 by 9.13 by 4.38 inches and it accepts wire sizes up to 14 gauge. The UG1000

can be combined with the advanced UgMO Knows Web-based software platform for sophisticated agronomic analytics and environmental monitoring, along with leak detection and remote configuration.

The 6-zone PH100, also a stand-alone unit, uses the same wireless sensor

technology as the UG1000, but is designed for smaller residential and commercial properties. Its dimensions are 7.5 inches in diameter by 2.25 inches deep. The PH100 has a wire harness that splices with existing wire, so there are no wire size restrictions.

The sensors broadcast moisture and temperature data to the UgMO base station (controller), which serves as an interrupter that will adjust the scheduled irrigation run times to deliver only the required amount of water that is needed by the landscape.

With UgMO sensors buried in each irrigation zone, soil moisture conditions are monitored and water is applied, zone-by-zone, according to the plant needs. In order to keep soil moisture at the optimum level, the required run times for each zone can vary greatly depending on numerous factors, including the following:

plant type (such as turf, shrubs, or trees); soil types; exposure; and the rate of water application in a zone, which depends upon water pressure, sprinkler type and density of sprinkler heads. In essence, UgMO operates like a thermostat that maintains temperature levels with the goal of maintaining optimal moisture levels to ensure plant health. Because the typical irrigation timer overwaters,

maintaining the optimal moisture zone means using significantly less water. Most importantly, this “thermostat” is set zone-by-zone to reflect the irrigation system, soil types, plant types, and different microclimates.

Controllers receive sensor data, either directly from the sensor or through the repeater network, and act upon the information.

Incoming soil moisture and temperature data are used to

efficiently apply irrigation water to meet the plant needs while

avoiding wasteful water usage by directly controlling irrigation

valves. The controller can implement sophisticated adaptive learning protocols and can act, if desired, autonomously. Remotely upgradeable, new features and functions can be added after installation.

A key feature of UgMO is that while the system applies water, it also monitors changes in soil moisture as a result of irrigation. Thus, the UgMO data act as a full “soil laboratory” where the controller learns autonomously and without human setting, all the required parameters for efficient irrigation management.

For example, UgMO is performing a constant vigil determining how much each irrigation cycle affects the soil moisture while also calculating dry down as well.

In time, field capacities of the soil in each zone are learned and run times can be based achieving a target moisture level that is 70% of field capacity, a level that has been shown to be ideal for plant health and efficient water use. This allows UgMO to operate effectively in systems with different sprinkler types and coverage densities. These adaptive learning processes avoid human error and estimation as to the key parameters of soil type and sprinkler application rate.

The combination of these features produces effective, “as needed” irrigation management designed to yield water savings with little need for human

monitoring or adjustment. In addition, because soil temperature is monitored, the system automatically suspends irrigation when soil temperatures fall to levels where plants go dormant. Finally, by creating an Internet-enabled local network, the system performance can be monitored, adjusted/configured, and updated remotely.

While UgMo is currently focused on measuring soil moisture, temperature, and salinity, the sensor platform is capable of implementing sensors with a variety of capabilities. In addition, while the current system architecture is a wireless network, depending on the application, there is a wide range of potential novel sensing/communication strategies that can be implemented. Although the initial application of the SenLink technology is for improving irrigation efficiency, the system has been designed with a flexible modular architecture in order to serve a variety of environmental control/monitoring applications.

UgMO Knows is a Web-based data visualization server accessible from any computer with Internet access and a Web browser. It is password protected and offers various level of user accounts from full privileges to modify and configure the system, to view only accounts. UgMO Knows allows for data charting and alarms to be generated (emails, telephone messages, etc.) when sensor data exceed user set limits. In addition, the platform supports advanced analytics and

“data mining.”

Figure 11.—Example of UgMO Knows, which incorporates Google map technology to provide users with real-time views of current conditions.

With the addition of a flow sensor attached to the irrigation pipes, the UG1000 can monitor waterflow isolated to the irrigation system and provide leak detection and system flow irregularities to the Internet. When combined with actual

irrigation event data, the system can send system alerts to responsible parties by email, text, or a smartphone application.

Figure 12.—Example of UgMO Knows waterflow monitoring.

UgMO has a variety of pricing options including a savings share and lease model, where there is no out-of-pocket capital expense for the customer. Installation, warranty and maintenance are included in these programs for the life of the contract. UgMO reports “$700/controlled irrigation zone as a pricing structure”

for direct purchase of either controller. A 1-year parts warranty is included with direct purchase.

Installation

UgMo reports the PH100 can be installed by the typically homeowner, and the UG1000 is typically installed by an irrigation specialist. There is an installation support page at its Web site (www.UgMo.com) and a toll-free telephone support line.

Track Record, Water Savings, and SWAT Testing

UgMO reports its system has been optimized for improving the efficiency and performance of residential and commercial irrigation systems spanning areas from less than an acre to large facilities such as golf courses and college campuses. A SWAT calibration test report was posted for the UgMo ProHome PH100WS in August 2012.