Patent ID: 8770888

Claim:
An irrigation system comprising: a watering mat for the large-area distribution of water installed below-ground with a first ground section located above the watering mat and a second ground section located below the watering mat so that plant roots of plants located in the first ground section can penetrate into the watering mat, the watering mat comprising: a first carrier layer and a second carrier layer that are positioned between the first ground section and the second ground section; one or more connections for connecting the first and the second carrier layers; one or more water-feeding elements arranged between the first and the second carrier layers for feeding water into the watering mat and distributing the water in the watering mat; an absorption layer for water storage arranged between the first and the second carrier layers; a moisture level detector arranged in the watering mat between the first carrier layer and the second carrier layer; and a capillary barrier to prevent salt accumulation in the watering mat, the capillary barrier being arranged below the second carrier layer and being attached to the watering mat using the one or more connections; a delivery device to deliver water into the watering mat; a measuring apparatus for determining the salt content of the water supplied to the watering mat; a measuring device for determining the water volume supplied to the watering mat; a further measuring device comprising a temperature sensor, an air humidity sensor and a brightness sensor for measuring weather-related data; an output unit to output information related to the moisture level in the watering mat, the salt content of water supplied to the watering mat and weather-related data; and a control unit configured to process data received from the moisture level detector, the measuring apparatus, the measuring device, and the further measuring device, and to generate a control signal for driving the output unit and the delivery device, the control unit being further configured to issue a warning if the moisture level in the watering mat for a specified time period is below or above a certain value, indicating that the irrigation system is not functioning properly.