Irrigation controller with reversible operator controls

• US 10,285,344 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Stange, Richard C., Kadien, Thomas C., Cook, Steven B., Chong, Kok Huat
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Jason D
• Application Number:
  US15/267,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20180077880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 700284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering

Abstract

An irrigation controller comprises actuable controls, a memory to store the watering program, and one or more displays. The actuable controls and display are incorporated into a removable face pack that is mounted to an interior door of the irrigation controller. The face pack can be easily moved from a first position on the front side of the interior door to a second position on the back side of the interior door and the face pack automatically senses its position. When the face pack is in the first position, the actuable controls and display are configured for operating information. When the face pack is in the second position, the wiring hook up area of the irrigation controller is exposed and the actuable controls and display are configured for diagnostics.

Claims

1. An irrigation controller to control an irrigation system, the irrigation controller comprising:

a face pack comprising one or more actuable controls configured to enable a user to enter or select a watering program and at least one display configured to display instructions and feedback to program and maintain the irrigation system, the one or more actuable controls and the at least one display located on a front surface of the face pack; and

an interior door that is configured to cover a wiring hookup area, the interior door further configured to rotate on a hinge to expose the wiring hookup area, the face pack being removably mounted onto the interior door;

the face pack configured to be placed in a first orientation relative to an opening in the interior door when the wiring hookup area is covered, the front surface viewable when the face pack is in the first orientation;

the face pack further configured to be passed through the opening in the interior door and placed in a second orientation relative to the opening in the interior door when the wiring hookup area is exposed, the front surface viewable when the face pack is in the second orientation;

the face pack further configured to maintain electrical communication between the face pack and the irrigation controller when the face pack in one of the first and second orientations is passed through the opening in the interior door and placed in the other of the first and second orientations.

2. The irrigation controller of claim 1 further comprising:

memory configured to store the watering program; and

a processor operatively connected to the memory, the one or more actuable controls, and the at least one display, the processor configured to execute programming stored in the memory, receive user inputs from the one or more actuable controls, and provide a plurality of display screens having the instructions and the feedback.

3. The irrigation controller of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to provide a home screen to the at least one display when the face pack is in the first orientation and to provide a diagnostic screen to the at least one display when the face pack is in the second orientation.

4. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the interior door comprises a magnet and the face pack further comprises a magnetically actuating device having a first state and a second state.

5. The irrigation controller of claim 4 wherein the magnetically actuating device comprises a magnetically actuating switch, and the instructions and the feedback displayed on the at least one display are based on a position of the magnetically actuating switch.

6. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the face pack further includes a locating feature and the interior door further includes a groove formed in an inner edge of the opening in the interior door, wherein the locating feature is configured to seat in the groove to hold at least a portion of the face pack within the opening in the interior door.

7. An irrigation controller to control an irrigation system, the irrigation controller comprising:

a housing configured to house the irrigation controller, the housing comprising an interior door that is configured to rotate about an interior hinge;

memory configured to store a watering program;

a removable face pack comprising a plurality of manually actuable controls configured to permit a user to enter or select the watering program, the removable face pack further comprising at least one display configured to provide instructions and feedback for programming and maintaining the irrigation system; and

a plurality of receptacles that are covered when the interior door is closed and exposed when the interior door is open, each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles configured to accept a corresponding output module that is enabled according to the watering program to permit a flow of water to an irrigation area;

the removable face pack configured to be placed relative to an opening in the interior door in a first position on a front side of the interior door when the plurality of receptacles are covered, the removable face pack further configured to be passed through the opening in the interior door and placed relative to the opening in the interior door in a second position on a back side of the interior door when the plurality of receptacles are exposed, and

the removable face pack further configured to display a user home screen providing irrigation control information on the at least one display when in the first position, the removable face pack further configured to display a system diagnostic screen providing diagnostic information associated with a configuration of the plurality of receptacles on the at least one display when in the second position.

8. The irrigation controller of claim 7 wherein the plurality of manually actuable controls and the at least one display are viewable to the user when the removable face pack is in the first and second positions.

9. The irrigation controller of claim 7 wherein the removable face pack further comprises a magnetically actuable device having an actuated state and an unactuated state, and the interior door comprises a magnet.

10. The irrigation controller of claim 9 wherein the removable face pack displays the user home screen when the magnetically actuable device is in one of the actuated state and the unactuated state, and displays the system diagnostic screen when the magnetically actuated device is in the other of the actuated state and the unactuated state.

11. The irrigation controller of claim 9 wherein the magnetically actuable device comprises a reed switch.

12. The irrigation controller of claim 7 wherein at least one of the plurality of manually actuable controls has a first function when the home screen is displayed and a second function different from the first function when the system diagnostic screen is displayed.

13. The irrigation controller of claim 7 wherein the housing further comprises a first edge having a first radiused portion and a front door that is configured to rotate in relation to the housing between an open position and a closed position, the front door comprising a second edge having a second radiused portion that fits over the first radiused portion when the front door is in the closed position.

14. The irrigation controller of claim 7 wherein the removable face pack is further configured to maintain electrical connection between the face pack and the irrigation controller when the face pack is passed through the opening in the interior door.

15. A method to interface with an irrigation controller, the method comprising:

receiving, with one or more computer processors comprising computer hardware, an indication indicating one of an operator interface device mounted to a front side of a moveable panel in the irrigation controller and the operator interface device mounted to a back side of the moveable panel, the operator interface device comprising one or more actuable controls configured to enable a user to enter or select a watering program and at least one display configured to display instructions and feedback to program and maintain an irrigation system, the one or more actuable controls and the at least one display located on a first side of the operator interface device, the operator interface device being repositionable relative to an opening in the moveable panel between the front side and the back side of the moveable panel by passing at least a portion of the operator interface device through the opening;

the first side of the operator interface device viewable to the user when the operator interface device is mounted to the front side of the moveable panel and viewable to the user when the operator interface device is mounted to the back side of the moveable panel, the operator interface displaying a home screen on the at least one display when the moveable panel covers a wiring hookup area and the operator interface device is mounted to the front side of the moveable panel, the home screen providing irrigation control information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the movable panel is configured to cover the wiring hookup area when in a closed position and configured to expose the wiring hookup area when in an open position.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising actuating a magnetically actuable switch located in the operator interface device with a magnet located in the moveable panel when the wire hookup area is covered.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating the indication based on a state of a magnetically actuable switch.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the operator interface displays a diagnostic screen on the at least one display when the wiring hookup area is exposed and the operator interface device is mounted to the back side of the moveable panel, the diagnostic screen providing diagnostic information associated with a configuration of the wiring hookup area.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the operator interface device maintains electrical communication with the irrigation controller when the at least a portion of the operator interface device is being passed through the opening.