Irrigation control systems and methods

• US 10,327,397 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Inventors: Olive-Chahinian, Ingrid, Vialleton, Myriam, Barbe, Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): Saavedra, Emilio J
• Application Number:
  US14/073,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 700284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/22 Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion

Abstract

Some embodiments provide irrigation systems comprising: a central irrigation controller; a radio module; a control module; and a radio adaptor in communication with the control module; where the control module comprises: a processor, a first communication interface, and one or more valve drivers, where the control module is configured to implement irrigation commands in implementing at least a portion of irrigation programming such that the one or more valve drivers are each configured to control a different irrigation valve in accordance with the irrigation programming; and the radio adapter comprises: a second communication interface communicationally coupled with the first communication interface, and a wireless radio frequency transceiver configured to provide wireless communication with the radio module where the radio adapter is configured to relay information between the radio module and the control module.

Claims

1. An irrigation system, the system comprising:

a computer based central irrigation controller;

a radio module in communication with the central irrigation controller;

a control module comprising;

a housing, a processor, a first communication interface,

and

one or more valve drivers coupled with the processor, where the control module is positioned separate from the central irrigation controller and the radio module, where the control module is configured to implement irrigation commands of an irrigation programming such that the one or more valve drivers are each configured to control a different irrigation valve in accordance with the irrigation programming;

and

a radio adapter that is separate from the control module and comprises;

a housing that is separate from and physically couples externally with the housing of the control module;

a second communication interface communicationally coupled with the first communication interface of the control module providing direct communication between the radio adapter and the first communication interface of the control module,

a wireless radio frequency transceiver configured to provide wireless communication with the radio module where the radio adapter is configured to relay information between the radio module and the control module,

and

wherein the radio adapter is configured to determine whether the control module communicationally coupled with the radio adapter is an earlier version of the control module with a reduced function set relative to a function set of a later version of the control module, store irrigation programming when the control module is the earlier version, and implement the irrigation programming when the control module is the earlier version, wherein the implementing the irrigation programming comprises instructing the control module to activate at least one of the one or more valve drivers.

2. The system of claim 1, where the control module further comprises a control module battery, where the control module battery provides the only power to the control module.

3. The system of claim 2, where the radio adapter further comprises a radio adapter battery, where the radio adapter battery provides the only power to the radio adapter.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a radio relay (RR) configured to wirelessly communicate with the radio module and the radio adapter such that the RR relays communications between the radio module and the radio adapter.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a satellite irrigation controller, where the radio module is coupled with the satellite irrigation controller and the satellite irrigation controller is communicationally coupled with the central irrigation controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the central irrigation controller comprises irrigation central software executed by the central irrigation controller in coordinating irrigation over the system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing of the radio adapter physically couples with the housing of the control module enabling the direct communication between the radio adapter and the control module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control module is configured to receive and locally implement the irrigation programming that specifies the irrigation commands.

9. The system of claim 7, where the radio adapter is configured to communicate the irrigation commands to the control module.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module does not have a user interface.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio module is configured to wirelessly receive sensor information obtained by a second control module directly coupled with a first sensor, identify one or more other control modules that are associated with the first sensor, where the one or more other control modules are not directly coupled with the first sensor, and wirelessly communicate, from the radio module, control information based on the sensor information to each of the one or more other control modules such that each of the one or more other control modules accounts for the sensor information when implementing irrigation commands of the irrigation programming in accordance with the control information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio module is configured to cause the wireless communication of a radio relay find command requesting a reply from any radio relay within wireless range of the wirelessly transmitted radio relay find command and store an identification of each radio relay that responds to the radio relay find command, and further configured to cause the wireless communication of a radio adapter find command and store radio adapter identifier information for each radio adapter that responds to the radio adapter find command.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the direct communication comprises direct optical communication between the second communication interface of the radio adapter and the first communication interface of the control module.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein housing of the radio adapter enable a physical coupling with the housing of the control module aligning the first communication interface of the control module with the second communication interface of the radio adapter.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the housing of the radio adapter establish a water tight seal with the housing of the housing of the control module and provides an optical communication path.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio adaptor configured to be positioned below ground and physically coupled with the control module such that the first communication interface of the control module is aligned with the second communication interface of the radio adapter.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio adapter is configured to be positioned within a valve box with the control module and at least one valve coupled with and controlled by the control module in accordance with the irrigation programming.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the housing of the radio adapter is separate from and is configured to abut against an external portion of the housing of the control module when the radio adapter is physically coupled externally with the housing of the control module, and wherein the control module and the coupled radio adapter are configured to be positioned at a location of at least one valve coupled with and controlled by the control module.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a satellite irrigation controller, where the radio module is coupled with the satellite irrigation controller and the satellite irrigation controller is communicationally coupled with the central irrigation controller;

a communication cartridge that physically mounts with a receiving port of a control panel cooperated with a housing of the satellite irrigation controller and is configured to provide wireless communication between the satellite irrigation controller and the central irrigation controller; and

wherein the radio module mounts to a back plane positioned within a housing of the satellite irrigation controller and is communicatively coupled with the communication cartridge.

11. A method of controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, at a radio module, sensor information obtained by a first control module directly coupled with a first sensor, where the first control module comprises one or more valve drivers, and the first control module being configured to control, as dictated by irrigation programming, the one or more valve drivers to each control a different irrigation valve in accordance with the irrigation programming;

identifying, at the radio module, one or more other control modules that are associated with the first sensor, where the one or more other control modules are not directly coupled with the first sensor;

wirelessly communicating, from the radio module, control information based on the sensor information to each of the one or more other control modules such that each of the one or more other control modules adjusts irrigation based on the sensor information when implementing irrigation commands of the irrigation programming in accordance with the control information, wherein the wirelessly communicating the control information comprises wirelessly communicating the control information from the radio module to at least one radio adapter directly physically coupled with and communicationally coupled with at least one of the one or more other control modules, such that each of the radio adapters forwards the control information to the respective one of the one or more other control modules;

and

wherein the at least one radio adapter is configured to determine whether the respective one of the one or more other control modules is an earlier version with a reduced function set relative to a function set of a later version, store irrigation programming when the respective one of the one or more other control modules is the earlier version, and implement the irrigation programming when the respective one of the one or more other control modules is the earlier version, wherein the implementing the irrigation programming comprises instructing the respective one of the one or more other control modules to activate at least one of the one or more valve drivers.