Irrigation monitoring system and method for monitoring flow rate into irrigation system to determine the existence or absence of an irrigation fault
First Claim
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1. An irrigation system comprising:
- a combined irrigation monitor and controller comprising a processor having a first and a second output and a first input;
a flow sensor coupled to the first input and an irrigation feed;
a first valve, the first valve coupled to the first output, the irrigation feed, and a first irrigation zone;
a second valve, the second valve coupled to the second output, the irrigation feed, and a second irrigation zone;
wherein when the state of the first output is in a first state the processor quantifies flow through the flow sensor as a first amount of flow;
wherein when the state of the second output is in a second state the processor quantifies flow through the flow sensor as a second amount of flow;
wherein the first and second quantified flows are processed by the processor to produce data selected from the following list;
detection of an unexpected flow condition in combination with an indicator of the zone responsible for the unexpected flow condition;
a flow characteristic of the first zone;
information about a fault condition including the zone in which the fault condition occurs;
or, a report of irrigation system performance including the amount of water flow to the first zone.
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Abstract
A method and device for monitoring an irrigation system is provided. The device includes a flow sensor and an irrigation controller comprising at least two outputs. The irrigation monitor is coupled to the irrigation controller and the flow sensor and performs an action in response to detecting a fault condition. The method includes steps of measuring flow through an irrigation feed, determining an intended state of an irrigation valve, associating the measured flow with the intended valve state, and detecting a fault condition. In some examples the irrigation monitor and irrigation controller use a single processor.
16 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An irrigation system comprising:
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a combined irrigation monitor and controller comprising a processor having a first and a second output and a first input; a flow sensor coupled to the first input and an irrigation feed; a first valve, the first valve coupled to the first output, the irrigation feed, and a first irrigation zone; a second valve, the second valve coupled to the second output, the irrigation feed, and a second irrigation zone; wherein when the state of the first output is in a first state the processor quantifies flow through the flow sensor as a first amount of flow; wherein when the state of the second output is in a second state the processor quantifies flow through the flow sensor as a second amount of flow; wherein the first and second quantified flows are processed by the processor to produce data selected from the following list;
detection of an unexpected flow condition in combination with an indicator of the zone responsible for the unexpected flow condition;
a flow characteristic of the first zone;
information about a fault condition including the zone in which the fault condition occurs;
or, a report of irrigation system performance including the amount of water flow to the first zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An irrigation system comprising:
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an irrigation monitor comprising a first processor having a first input; an irrigation controller comprising a second processor, a first output, and a second output, the second processor being coupled to the first processor; a flow sensor coupled to the first input and an irrigation feed; a first valve, the first valve coupled to the first output, the irrigation feed, and a first irrigation zone; a second valve, the second valve coupled to the second output, the irrigation feed, and a second irrigation zone; wherein when the state of the first output is in a first state at least one of the first or the second processor quantifies flow through the flow sensor as a first amount of flow; wherein when the state of the second output is in a second state at least one of the first or the second processor quantifies flow through the flow sensor as a second amount of flow; wherein the first and second quantified flows are processed by at least one of the first or the second processor to produce data selected from the following list;
detection of an unexpected flow condition in combination with an indicator of the zone responsible for the unexpected flow condition;
a flow characteristic of the first zone;
information about a fault condition including the zone in which the fault condition occurs;
or, irrigation system performance including the amount of water flow to the first zone. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for monitoring an irrigation system comprising steps for:
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measuring flow through an irrigation feed using a flow sensor; determining an intended state of at least a first irrigation valve and a second irrigation valve, the valves being coupled to first and second zones; associating the measured flow with an intended valve state; wherein when the intended state of the first irrigation valve is in a first state flow through the flow sensor is associated with a first amount of flow; wherein when the intended state of the second irrigation valve is in a second state flow through the flow sensor is associated with a second amount of flow; wherein the first and second amount of flow are processed to produce data selected from the following list;
detection of an unexpected flow condition in combination with an indicator of the zone responsible for the unexpected flow condition;
a flow characteristic of the first zone;
information about a fault condition including the zone in which the fault condition occurs;
or, a report of irrigation system performance including the amount of water flow to the first zone. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification