Wireless irrigation control

• US 10,201,133 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Inventors: Tennyson, Michael James, Reyes Archundia, Angel, Torre, Frank, Jenkins, Robert H., Mueller, Brian Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskridge, Cory W
• Application Number:
  US14/968,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20160113219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25187 Transmission of signals, medium, ultrasonic, radio
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Some embodiments provide methods and systems of controlling irrigation. Some of these systems comprise: a connector of a controller interface (CI) coupled with an irrigation controller, wherein the connector is configured to receive a valve activation signal activated by the irrigation controller; a user interface of the CI; a processor of the CI configured to obtain valve transceiver (VT) programming with VT programming being received from inputs through the user interface, determine a station identifier, and identify as defined in the VT programming a remote valve associated with the station identifier and controlled by a remote VT; and a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit a wireless activation signal configured to be wirelessly received by the VT controlling the valve associated by the VT programming with the station identifier such that the VT is configured to control an actuator to actuate the valve.

Claims

1. An irrigation system, comprising:

a connector of a controller interface (CI) configured to directly couple with a control panel of an irrigation controller via a wired coupling and to receive a valve activation signal activated by the control panel of the irrigation controller, wherein the CI comprises;

a user interface;

a processor coupled with the connector and the user interface, wherein the processor is configured to obtain, in accordance with valve transceiver (VT) programming, the valve activation signal with an association to a remote VT to be activated in response to the valve activation signal;

a first wireless transceiver coupled with the processor and configured to wirelessly transmit a wireless activation signal configured to be wirelessly received by the VT controlling a valve associated with the VT such that the VT is configured to control an actuator to actuate the valve; and

a second wireless transceiver coupled with the processor and configured to wirelessly receive from a separate peripheral device operated by a user at least some of the VT programming.

2. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the CI associates the valve activation signal with the VT that is associated with the valve to be controlled.

3. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the CI further comprises:

a connector configured to couple directly with the control panel of the irrigation controller, wherein the connector is configured to receive the valve activation signal activated by the irrigation controller, wherein the processor is further configured communicate a query to the irrigation controller, wherein the connector in receiving the valve activation signal activated by the irrigation controller is configured to receive a response to the query.

4. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to evaluate the valve activation signal received from the irrigation controller, and activate the first wireless transceiver to wirelessly transmit the wireless activation signal to the VT associated with the received valve activation signal to activate at least the corresponding valve.

5. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the connector is configured to couple with a communication port of the control panel of the irrigation controller to receive the valve activation signals directly from the control panel.

6. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the CI is further configured to receive sensor data from a remote sensor, determine whether a threshold associated with the sensor data is exceeded and interrupt irrigation from the valve controlled by the VT when the threshold associated with the sensor data is exceeded.

7. The irrigation system of claim 6, wherein the processor of the CI is further configured to interrupt all irrigation associated with the irrigation controller for at least a predefined period of time in response to determining that the threshold associated with the sensor data is exceeded.

8. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the the second wireless transceiver is configured to receive at least some of the VT programming and at least some of an irrigation program for the irrigation controller.

9. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the wireless first transceiver is configured to receive status information from the VT regarding a parameter of the VT;

and

the processor is further configured to determine whether the status information has a predefined relationship with a corresponding status threshold, and cause a beeper command to be wirelessly communicated to the VT to generate an audible alert in response to determining that the status information has the predefined relationship with a corresponding status threshold.

10. The irrigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a main circuit board of the CI, the main circuit board comprising the processor and an interface board connector, wherein the interface board connector is configured to interchangeably connect the main board with one of multiple different interface boards having the connector, wherein the connector is different on the different interface boards to allow the CI to be implemented in different configurations.

17. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the second wireless transceiver to communicate irrigation controller information to the peripheral device to cause the peripheral device to provide a displayed user interface that is different than a user interface provided on the irrigation controller.

11. A method of irrigating, comprising:

receiving, at a connector of a controller interface (CI) directly coupled with a control panel of an irrigation controller and in accordance with valve transceiver (VT) programming, a valve activation signal activated by the irrigation controller, wherein the valve activation signal corresponds to a station identifier programmed at the irrigation controller;

identifying, at a processor of the CI, a remote valve transceiver (VT) associated with the valve activation signal and that is to be activated in response to the valve activation signal; and

wirelessly transmitting, from a first wireless transceiver of the CI, a wireless activation signal to the associated VT, wherein the associated VT is configured to control an actuator to actuate a remote valve controlled by with the associated VT; and

wirelessly receiving, through a second wireless transceiver coupled with the processor, from a separate peripheral device operated by the user at least some of the VT programming.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly receiving at least some of the VT programming comprises:

receiving, from inputs by the user through a user interface of the separate peripheral device,

an association of a station identifier with a valve designation corresponding to the valve controlled by the VT as part of the VT programming.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly receiving at least some of the VT programming comprises:

receiving, from inputs through a user interface of the separate peripheral device, direction information representing a designated geographic direction toward the VT with which the VT programming information is associated.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

querying, from the CI, the irrigation controller; and

wherein the receiving the valve activation signal comprises receiving, at the CI, a response to the query from the irrigation controller.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the response comprises status information indicating a valve with an on status.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly transmitting the wireless activation signal comprises broadcasting the wireless activation signal comprising an activation listing that identifies a state of multiple valves controlled through the CI including the on state of the valve associated with the station identifier.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

causing the second wireless transceiver to communicate irrigation controller information to the peripheral device and causing the peripheral device to provide a displayed user interface that is different than a user interface provided on the irrigation controller.