Automatic adjustment of irrigation schedules during the year

• US 20020166898A1
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aqua Conservation Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aqua Conservation Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Buhler, Kirk, Addink, Sylvan
• Application Number:
  US09/852,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20020166898A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/11
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering

Abstract

A method of controlling irrigation to an irrigated area comprises: extrapolating an irrigation schedule at least partly as a function of at least two user entered data points; and executing the irrigation schedule by an irrigation controller. The user entered data points can all be entered at the same time or over a period of time. Furthermore, two or more user entered data points may be entered for the same date. Additionally, the user entered data points may be deleted. A warning is preferably displayed to the user (a) when a user-entered data point is projected to result in an irrigated area not receiving adequate water to meet a plant'"'"'s water requirement, or (b) when an irrigated area is projected to receive excessive water.

Claims

1. A method of controlling irrigation to an irrigated area comprising:

extrapolating an irrigation schedule partly as a function of at least two user entered data points; and

executing the irrigation schedule by an irrigation controller.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrapolated irrigation schedule is at least partly derived from ETo data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrapolated irrigation schedule is at least partly derived from a historical crop water use curve.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrapolated irrigation schedule is automatically generated by a microprocessor disposed in the irrigation controller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the irrigation schedule is based on an extrapolation step function of weekly irrigation watering changes during a calendar year.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the irrigation schedule is based on an extrapolation step function of monthly irrigation watering changes during a calendar year.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrapolated irrigation schedule includes irrigation watering values that at least approximate at least one of the irrigation data points.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrapolated irrigation schedule includes irrigation watering values that are not similar to any of the irrigation data points.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user entered data points comprises entering all the data points at the same time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user entered data points comprises entering the data points over a period of time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein two or more user entered data points may be entered for the same date.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user entered data points are stored in a memory disposed in the irrigation controller.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user entered data points are stored in a memory disposed in a personal computer coupled to the irrigation controller.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user entered data points maybe deleted from the memory.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the irrigation controller warning the user if a user entered data point may result in an irrigated area not receiving adequate water to meet a plant'"'"'s water requirement.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the irrigation controller warning the user if a user entered data point may result in an irrigated area receiving excessive water that exceeds a plant'"'"'s water requirement.