Irrigation controller with weather station

• US 10,638,675 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Runge, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin D
• Application Number:
  US15/090,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212952A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/167 Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture

Abstract

An irrigation control module is described that adjusts a watering schedule for a connected irrigation controller based on weather data provided by a local weather station. The irrigation control module can add additional weather-based irrigation schedule adjustments to an irrigation controller that may otherwise lack the hardware (e.g., wireless transmitter, sufficient memory) and software (e.g., evapotranspiration algorithms) to store and interpret weather data from a weather station.

Claims

1. An irrigation control device comprising:

a control device housing;

electrical circuitry disposed in said housing and configured to process and store data; and

,

a first communication link in communication with said electrical circuitry and configured to communicate with a rain sensor;

said rain sensor comprising a hygroscopic material that expands when contacted with moisture to activate a switch that causes a rain threshold signal to be transmitted;

wherein said electrical circuitry is configured to receive said rain threshold signal from said rain sensor via said first communication link and calculate an estimated rain fall amount;

wherein said electrical circuitry is configured to determine a rainfall time based at least on monitoring an amount of time said rain threshold signal is active; and

,

said electrical circuitry is further configured to calculate said estimated rain fall amount by multiplying an estimated rainfall rate with said rainfall time; and

,

wherein said electrical circuitry is further configured to communicate a signal to an irrigation controller controlling adjustment of an irrigation schedule of said irrigation controller based on said estimated rain fall amount;

wherein said amount of time said rain threshold signal is active is increased by a known time said hygroscopic material of said rain sensor saturates with rain and wherein said amount of time said rain threshold signal is active is decreased by a known time said hygroscopic material of said rain sensor dries to release said rain threshold signal; and

,

wherein said rainfall rate is selected from;

a predetermined average rainfall rate, an average rainfall rate for a geographic area during a known time of year, or a rainfall rate obtained via a remote data source.

2. The irrigation control device of claim 1, wherein said electrical circuitry further calculates an estimated ET value for adjusting an irrigation schedule.

3. The irrigation control device of claim 1, wherein said irrigation control device is separate from and in communication with an irrigation controller.

4. An irrigation control device comprising:

a control device housing;

electrical circuitry disposed in said housing and configured to process and store data; and

,

a rain sensor separate from said control device housing and in wired or wireless communication with said electrical circuitry;

said rain sensor comprising a hygroscopic material that expands when contacted with moisture, so as to activate a position-sensitive sensor or switch that causes a rain threshold signal to be transmitted;

wherein said electrical circuitry is configured to receive said rain threshold signal from said rain sensor via said first communication link and calculate an estimated rain fall amount based on multiplying an estimated rainfall rate with an amount of time said rain threshold signal is continuously active;

wherein said electrical circuitry is further configured to communicate a signal to an irrigation controller controlling adjustment of an irrigation schedule;

said signal being based on said estimated rain fall amount;

wherein said estimated rain fall amount is calculated by monitoring said amount of time said rain threshold signal is continuously active, adjusting for an amount of water needed to expand said hygroscopic material to activate said position-sensitive sensor or switch, and adjusting for an amount of time needed to dry said hygroscopic material to deactivate said position-sensitive sensor or switch; and

,

wherein said estimated rain fall amount is calculated with a said estimated rainfall rate that is selected from;

a predetermined average rainfall rate, an average rainfall rate for a geographic area during a known time of year, or a rainfall rate obtained via a remote data source.

5. The irrigation control device of claim 4, wherein said amount of time needed to dry said hygroscopic material of said rain sensor is calculated based on a solar radiation sensor.

6. A method of operating an irrigation control device comprising:

transmitting a rain threshold signal when a hygroscopic material of a rain sensor activates a position-sensitive sensor or switch;

receiving with said irrigation control device a rain threshold signal from a hygroscopic rain sensor;

monitoring and storing with said irrigation control device an amount of time said rain threshold signal is active;

multiplying an estimated rainfall rate by said amount of time said rain threshold signal is active to determine an estimated rainfall amount; and

,

communicating a signal to an irrigation controller so as to cause said irrigation controller to adjust an irrigation schedule based on said estimated rainfall amount;

wherein said amount of time said rain threshold signal is active is adjusted by a known time or rainfall amount required to expand hygroscopic material in said hygroscopic rain sensor to activate said rain threshold signal, adjusted by a known time dry out time of say hygroscopic material; and

wherein said rainfall rate is selected from;

a predetermined average rainfall rate, an average rainfall rate for a geographic area during a known time of year, or a rainfall rate obtained via a remote data source.