Wireless sensor and control transmitter system

• US 20050137752A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TechStreams Control Systems
• Original Assignee: TechStreams Control Systems
• Inventors: Alvarez, Raymond Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/802 Particular electronic circuits for digital processing equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86389 Programmer or timer

Abstract

A wireless sensor and control transmitter system is provided for operating an irrigation or other hydraulic system. The system includes a master module unit hardwired to and in communication with the hydraulic system controller, and a field module unit that is hardwired to and in communication with field electromechanical control devices such as valves, solenoids and servo motors, and field sensors indicating, for example, atmospheric conditions. The master module unit and field module unit communicate with digital wireless communication and can act as a simple wireless bridge. The master module and field module units are capable of digitizing input signals from the devices to which they are hardwired and transmitting them to the opposite module; they are further capable of deciphering the digitized signals received to reproduce the original input signal and communicating it to the device to which it is hardwired. Supplemental functionality may be added to an existing hydraulic control system by including the WSCX and its system features of control and sensor functionality that may not otherwise be available in an existing controller system.

Claims

1. A Wireless Sensor and Control Transmitter System for a hydraulic system controlled by a controller unit, comprising:

a master module unit having electronic circuitry that communicates with a hydraulic system controller unit and also communicates wirelessly with a field module unit, the field module unit further having electronic circuitry that communicates with one or more field electromechanical control devices or sensors,

wherein the circuitry of the master module unit is capable of encrypting command signals from the controller unit into digital signals and wirelessly transmitting the digital signals to the field module unit, the field module unit circuitry is capable of decrypting the digital command signals received from the master module unit to reproduce the controller command signal and of transmitting the reproduced signal to the field electromechanical control devices or sensors, and

the circuitry of the field module unit is capable of converting signals from the sensors into digital signals and wirelessly transmitting the digital signals to the master module unit, and further the master module unit circuitry is capable of converting the digital signals received from the field module unit to reproduce the sensor signals and transmit them to the controller.

2. The system of claim 1 with the limitation that the signals from the controller unit are analog.

3. The system of claim 1 with the limitation that the a communication signal for at least one of the one or more field electromechanical control devices or for the sensors are analog.

4. The system of claim 1 further including supplemental functionality for control of a hydraulic system, where the system acts as a supplemental controller.

5. The system of claim 4 customized for use with an existing controller that further includes electronic circuitry that provides supplemental functionality for the hydraulic system that the existing controller can not implement.

6. The system of claim 4 where the supplemental functionality of the supplemental controller is integrated with the controller unit.

7. The system of claim 5 where the supplemental functionality comprises implementing a supplemental field electromechanical control device.

8. The system of claim 5 where the supplemental functionality comprises implementing a supplemental sensor.

9. The system of claim 4 where the field module unit is powered by a battery and the supplemental functionality comprises electrical circuitry that measures the charge state of the battery.

10. The system of claim 4 where the supplemental functionality comprises implementing a method of timing the activation of the field electromechanical components of the hydraulic system.

11. The system of claim 4 where the supplemental functionality of the system includes a flow rate sensor and programming to determine the flow rate of liquid when the hydraulic system is functioning properly, calculating trip rates to determine excessive liquid flow rates and controlling one or more field electromechanical control devices in response to an excessive detected flow rate.

12. The system of claim 5 where the supplemental functionality by the supplemental controller comprises a programming protocol and electrical circuitry to determine the use of current by a field electromechanical control device when the hydraulic system is functioning properly, calculating trip rates to determine excessive or insufficient current rates and controlling one or more field electromechanical control devices in response to a signal indicating an excessive or insufficient rate of current being used.

13. The system of claim 4 where the supplemental functionality of the system includes receiving signals from field sensors selected from the group consisting of those sensors that measure liquid flow, liquid pressure, liquid level, atmospheric conditions, soil moisture content, water-borne contaminants, electric current and electrical voltage.

15. The method of claim 14 of claim 1 with the limitation that the signals from the controller unit are analog.

14. A method for implementing a Wireless Sensor and Control Transmitter System controlling a hydraulic system controlled by a controller unit, comprising the steps of:

providing a master module unit having electronic circuitry that communicates with a hydraulic system controller unit and also communicates wirelessly with a field module unit, the field module unit further having electronic circuitry that communicates with one or more field electromechanical control devices or sensors,

wherein the circuitry of the master module unit is capable of encrypting command signals from the controller unit into digital signals and wirelessly transmitting the digital signals to the field module unit, the field module unit circuitry is capable of decrypting the digital command signals received from the master module unit to reproduce the controller command signal and of transmitting the reproduced signal to the field electromechanical control devices or sensors, and

the circuitry of the field module unit is capable of converting signals from the sensors into digital signals and wirelessly transmitting the digital signals to the master module unit, the master module unit circuitry is capable of converting the digital signals received from the field module unit to reproduce and transmit them to the controller, and

connecting the master module unit to an existing hydraulic system controller and connecting

the field module unit to a field electromechanical device.

16. The method of claim 14 with the limitation that the a communication signal for at least one of the one or more field electromechanical control devices or for the sensors are analog.

17. The method of claim 14 further including supplemental functionality for control of a hydraulic system.

18. The method of claim 17 further including a system customized for use with an existing controller that includes electronic circuitry that provides supplemental functionality for the hydraulic system that the existing controller can not implement.

19. The method of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality of the supplemental controller is integrated with the controller unit.

20. The method of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality comprises implementing a supplemental field electromechanical control device.

21. The method of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality comprises implementing a supplemental sensor.

22. The method of claim 17 where the field module unit is powered by a battery and the supplemental functionality comprises electrical circuitry that measures the charge state of the battery.

23. The method of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality comprises the step of implementing a method of timing the activation of the field electromechanical components of the hydraulic system.

24. The system of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality of the system includes a flow rate sensor and programming steps to determine the flow rate of liquid when the hydraulic system is functioning properly, calculating trip rates to determine excessive liquid flow rates and controlling one or more field electromechanical control devices in response to an excessive detected flow rate.

25. The method of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality by the supplemental controller comprises a programming protocol and electrical circuitry to determine the use of current by a field electromechanical control device when the hydraulic system is functioning properly, calculating trip rates to determine excessive or insufficient current rates and controlling one or more field electromechanical control devices in response to a signal indicating an excessive or insufficient rate of current being used.

26. The method of claim 17 where the supplemental functionality of the system includes the steps of receiving signals from field sensors selected from the group consisting of those sensors that measure liquid flow, liquid pressure, liquid level, atmospheric conditions, soil moisture content, water-borne contaminants, electric current and electrical voltage.