Garden-controlling system

• US 20070088462A1
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ap2u.net Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AP2U Net Limited
• Inventors: Peleg, Dani
• Application Number:
  US10/565,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088462A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23298 Remote load of program, through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23328 Modification program
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23399 Adapt set parameter as function of measured conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering

Abstract

A garden-controller system is disclosed. The system is built up from a plurality of area-controllers, a garden-controller that is located in each controlled garden in order to control the area-controllers in its'"'"' garden and a dedicated software installed on a computing means or in a dedicated web site on the Internet. Each of these area-controllers is programmed to operate and control the needed tasks in the area where the area-controller is located. The program can be updated and/or modified by the garden-controller. The system and its'"'"' parts capable to communicate via any communication infrastructure including the Internet.

Claims

1. A garden-controlling system, said system comprising:

a) a plurality of area-controllers, each of said area controller has a programming capability and communication capability and wherein each of said area-controllers capable to collect and transfer information;

b) a garden-controller with a programing capability and a communication capability enables to communicate with a computing means and to communicate with each of said area-controllers in order to program, update and/or modify said area-controllers'"'"' program; and

c) a programming-software to be installed on a computing means enables to program, update and/or modify said garden-controllers'"'"' program via said communication capability.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said programming-software operative fore:

on-screen programming—

a specific program for each of said area-controllers—

of irrigation, fertilization, illumination and apparatus activating of each area of a given garden;

on-screen programming of said garden-controller;

setup the operation-criteria of each of said programs;

a pulling task-performance information and other collected information from said area-controllers; and

update and/or modify each of said programs via said communication capability.

3. The system of claim 1, further includes an Internet web site, said web site communicates with a plurality of garden-controllers, said web site holds updated information regarding each garden that is controlled by said garden-controller and wherein said web site enables to pull update information from each garden-controller and enables to use said programing-software to program, update and/or modify each of said garden-controllers'"'"' program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said communication capabilities can be one or plurality of the following:

phone line or wire communication;

cellular communication;

electromagnetic waves wireless communication;

blue-toot communication;

electro-optical communication; and

/or;

any other communication method or system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said area-controller operative—

according to a program, a predetermined criteria or a command from the garden-controller—

for at least one of the followings;

opening and closing irrigation valves;

activating a water pump;

opening and closing fertilization valves;

activating a fertilization pump;

turns illumination means on and off; and

/or

activating any other apparatus or system.

6. The system of claim 1, further includes a plurality of sensors that are connected to at least part of said area-controllers and wherein each of said area-controllers collects information from said sensors, uses said information for local use and transmits said information to said garden-controller via said communication capability and wherein said programming-software can pull said information from said garden-controller.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said sensors could be any combination of the followings:

rain sensor

ground humidity sensor

water supply sensor

fertilizer sensor

pressure sensor

any other sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said programming-software enables to program each of said area-controller correspondingly to the location of said area-controller, in order to activate irrigation, fertilization and illumination according to the location area structure and time sequence.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said garden-controller is programmed, using said programming software, to update or modify said area-controllers'"'"' program according to a predetermined criteria, sensors information that is collected in a specific area and/or commands from said programming-software.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said area-controller further includes a solar power supply.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said area-controller and/or said garden-controller capable to transmit an alarm—

to a predetermined communication address or phone number, via said communication capability—

according to a predetermined criteria.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said area-controller and/or said garden-controller capable to receive a code from any communication apparatus and performs predetermined actions.

13. A method for garden controlling, said method comprised of the following steps:

a) locating a plurality of area-controllers, each of said area controller has a programming capability and communication capability and wherein each of said area-controllers capable to collect and transfer information from a plurality of sensors;

b) controlling, updating and modifying said area-controllers by means of a garden-controller, said garden-controller has a programming capability and a communication capability and enables to communicate with a computing means and to communicate with each of said area-controllers; and

c) programming, updating and modifying said garden-controller by means of programming-software that is installed on a computing means, via said communication capability of said garden-controller.

14. The method of claim 13, further includes the step of enabling the connection of said garden-controller to an Internet web site, said web site holds update information regarding said garden-controller and wherein said web site enables to pull update information from said garden-controller and enables to use said programming-software to program, update and/or modify each of said garden-controllers'"'"' program.