Irrigation control valve and system
First Claim
1. An irrigation control valve, comprising:
- a conduit having an inlet and an outlet;
a moisture sensitive element adapted to be placed in contact with the soil, the moisture sensitive element being expansible as a function of the amount of moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element;
a movable moisture controlled member coupled to the moisture sensitive element and configured to variably restrict the cross section of the conduit between the inlet and the outlet dependent on the moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element, the cross section of the conduit at the moisture sensitive element decreasing with increasing moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element and increasing with decreasing moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element;
an electronically controlled actuator connected to an electronic controller;
and a movable electronically controlled member coupled to the electronically controlled actuator, the electronically controlled member located at the conduit adjacent the moisture controlled member and cooperating with the moisture controlled member to define the shut-off position of the moisture controlled member.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An irrigation control valve has two movable members that can independently or in combination block the flow of water in a conduit, or be fully retracted of at some point in-between. A moisture sensitive element is arranged to be placed in contact with the soil and expands or retracts dependent on the moisture within soil adjacent the moisture sensitive element. The moisture sensitive element is connected or coupled to a moisture controlled member. Dependent on the moisture of the soil adjacent the moisture sensitive element, the moisture controlled member is moved further into the conduit with increasing moisture in the soil. The moisture controlled member and an electronically controlled member are located adjacent each other at the conduit. The electronically controlled member determines how far the moisture controlled member needs to move in order to fully block the flow of water in the conduit. An electronic controller is operable to determine the achieved level of moisture in the soil, by means of the electronically controlled actuator and the electronically controlled member.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An irrigation control valve, comprising:
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a conduit having an inlet and an outlet; a moisture sensitive element adapted to be placed in contact with the soil, the moisture sensitive element being expansible as a function of the amount of moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element; a movable moisture controlled member coupled to the moisture sensitive element and configured to variably restrict the cross section of the conduit between the inlet and the outlet dependent on the moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element, the cross section of the conduit at the moisture sensitive element decreasing with increasing moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element and increasing with decreasing moisture adjacent the moisture sensitive element; an electronically controlled actuator connected to an electronic controller; and a movable electronically controlled member coupled to the electronically controlled actuator, the electronically controlled member located at the conduit adjacent the moisture controlled member and cooperating with the moisture controlled member to define the shut-off position of the moisture controlled member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An irrigation system, comprising:
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a water conducting means connected to a supply of water, a control valve with a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the conduit connected to the water conducting means and the outlet of the conduit connected to a water discharge within or in the vicinity of a soil containing a root of at least one plant a moisture sensitive element in contact with the soil, the moisture sensitive element being expansible as a function of the amount of moisture in the soil adjacent the moisture sensitive element; a movable moisture controlled member coupled to the moisture sensitive element and configured to variably restrict the cross section of the conduit between the inlet and the outlet dependent on the moisture in the soil adjacent the moisture sensitive element, the moisture sensitive element moving out of the conduit when the moisture in the soil adjacent the moisture sensitive increases and moving into the conduit when the moisture in the soil adjacent the moisture sensitive element decreases; an electronically controlled actuator connected to an electronic controller; a movable electronically controlled member coupled to the electronically controlled actuator, the electronically controlled member located at the conduit adjacent the moisture controlled member and arranged to define the shut-off position of the moisture controlled member, the electronic controller connected to least one of an environmental sensor for detecting at least one environmental condition, a clock, and a receiver operable to receive control data from a remote location. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification