SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADAPTATION TO WIRELESS REMOTE CONTROL OF IRRIGATION VALVES FROM EXISTING HARDWIRED CONTROL DEVICES

• US 20080039978A1
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NPD Corporation
• Original Assignee: NPD Corporation
• Inventors: Graham, Glen
• Application Number:
  US11/876,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039978A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25187 Transmission of signals, medium, ultrasonic, radio
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25289 Energy saving, brown out, standby, sleep, powerdown modus for microcomputer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/189 Soil moisture sensing

Abstract

A low cost system and method for retrofitting an existing control device to communicate wirelessly with one or more water-flow devices is provided. For example, an existing wired irrigation system may be adapted to allow wireless communication between a commercially available irrigation controller and commercially available water-flow devices, such as sprinkler valves. A wireless irrigation adapter receives control signals from an existing irrigation controller and transmits a wireless representation of the control signals. Water-flow devices may be coupled to one or more wireless receivers that receive the wireless representation of the control signals and operate the water-flow device(s) accordingly. The wireless irrigation receiver(s) listen(s) for the wireless control signals occasionally, thus reducing power consumption by the wireless receiver(s). This system and method may also wirelessly adapt control devices to irrigation that may never have been intended for that purpose when they were fabricated.

Claims

1. method of retrofitting a hard-wired irrigation system for wireless communication, wherein the hard-wired irrigation system comprises an irrigation controller that is adapted to be electrically coupled to at least one irrigation solenoid valve by one or more physical wires, the irrigation controller being adapted to output control signals to the irrigation solenoid valve via the one or more physical wires, the method comprising:

wiring a wireless adapter to at least one output of the irrigation controller so that the wireless adapter receives the control signals;

wiring a wireless receiver to the irrigation solenoid valve; and

inducing the wireless adapter to transmit a transformed version of the received control signals, wherein in response to receiving the transformed version of the control signals, the wireless receiver activates the irrigation solenoid.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inducing the wireless adapter to transmit a second transformed version of the received control signals, wherein in response to receiving the second transformed version of the control signals, the wireless receiver deactivates the irrigation solenoid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the irrigation controller comprises at least one of:

a sprinkler time, a personal computer, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a manual switch, an Air Conditioning Thermostat, a SPA or Pool timer, and a sequencer.

4. A method of controlling an irrigation system, the irrigation system comprising an irrigation solenoid valve electrically coupled to a wireless receiver and an irrigation controller electrically coupled to a wireless adapter, the method comprising:

transmitting an activation control signal from the wireless adapter, the activation control signal being representative of an activation signal received from the irrigation controller indicating that the irrigation solenoid valve should be activated in order to allow water to flow through the irrigation solenoid valve to one or more water distribution devices that are in fluidic communication with the irrigation solenoid valve;

receiving the activation control signal at the wireless receiver, wherein the wireless receiver alternates between a listen period and a sleep period, wherein during the sleep period the wireless receiver draws less power than in the listen period and the activation control signal is only detected by the wireless receiver during the listen period;

in response to receiving the activation control signal, activating the irrigation solenoid valve; and

de-activating the irrigation solenoid valve if the activation control signal is not again received during a predetermined quantity of one or more of the listen and the sleep periods, thereby reducing a likelihood of the irrigation solenoid valve over-watering.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising de-activating the irrigation solenoid valve in response to receiving a deactivation control signal from the wireless adapter so as to inhibit flow of water through the irrigation solenoid valve to the one or more water distribution devices.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the activation control signal is periodically transmitted at a rate that is equal to or less than the predetermined quantity of one or more of the listen and the sleep periods.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the sleep period is more than two times the duration of the listen period.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the activation control signal is transmitted no more than about 25% of the time during a period in which the irrigation solenoid is to be activated.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the activation control signal is transmitted for less than about 15 seconds.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined quantity is selected from the group comprising 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 100, and 200.

11. A wireless irrigation adapter comprising:

one or more input connections for hard-wiring to respective output connections of an irrigation controller, at least some of the output connections of the irrigation controller each being configured to output indications of when one or more irrigation valves associated with respective output connections are to be active;

a wireless transmitter for transmitting an activation signal indicating one or more of the irrigation valves; and

a first wireless receiver coupled to a first irrigation valve and coupled to receive an AC power signal from an AC power source, wherein, in response to receiving the activation signal indicating the first irrigation valve, the first wireless receiver initiates activation of the first irrigation valve so as to allow water to flow to one or more water distribution devices coupled to the first irrigation valve.

12. The wireless irrigation adapter of claim 11, wherein the first wireless receiver activates the first irrigation valve by coupling the AC power signal from the AC power source to the first irrigation valve during all of an activation period.

13. The wireless irrigation adapter of claim 11, and the wireless irrigation adapter further comprises:

a second wireless receiver coupled to a second irrigation valve that is battery powered, wherein, in response to receiving the activation signal indicating the second irrigation valve, the second wireless receiver initiates activation of the second irrigation valve so as to allow water to flow to one or more water distribution devices coupled to the second irrigation valve.

14. The wireless irrigation adapter of claim 13, wherein the second wireless receiver activates the second irrigation valve by coupling a DC power signal from a battery to a DC solenoid of the second irrigation valve for a brief period at the beginning of an activation period.

15. The wireless irrigation adapter of claim 14, wherein the brief period is less than about 500 milliseconds.

16. The wireless irrigation adapter of claim 13, wherein the second wireless receiver alternates between a listen period and a sleep period, wherein during the sleep period the second wireless receiver draws less power than in the listen period and the activation signal is only detected by the second wireless receiver during the listen period.

17. The wireless irrigation adapter of claim 16, wherein the second wireless receiver is configured to initiate deactivation of the second irrigation valve in response to not receiving the activation signal indicating the second watering zone in a predetermined number of one or more of the sleep and the listen periods.

18. A wireless adapter system for use with an irrigation controller that is configured for hard-wiring to one or more irrigation valves associated with respective of one or more watering zones, wherein each of the irrigation valves is coupled to one or more water distribution devices and the irrigation valves are configured to control passage of water to respectively coupled water distribution devices, the irrigation controller further comprising a separate electrical connection for hard-wiring to each of the one or more irrigation valves, the wireless adapter system comprising:

a wireless transmitter comprising a plurality of input connections configured for coupling to the electrical connections of the irrigation controller so that the wireless transmitter receives control signals from the irrigation controller and the wireless transmitter periodically transmits a wireless signal indicative of which watering zones should be active in accordance with the control signals from the irrigation controller on the input connections; and

one or more wireless receivers associated with respective of the irrigation valves, wherein the wireless receivers, in response to receiving the wireless signal, selectively activate their corresponding irrigation valves, wherein the wireless receivers are further adapted to de-activate their respective irrigation valves if the wireless signal is not detected during a pre-determined time interval to thereby reduce the likelihood of the irrigation valve over-watering due to not detecting the wireless signal during the pre-determined time interval.

19. The wireless adapter system of claim 18, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit a wireless signal indicative of which watering zones should not be active, as indicated by the control signals from the irrigation controller on the input connections, and the wireless receivers, in response to receiving the wireless signal, selectively de-activate the irrigation valves of their respective watering zones as indicated by the wireless signal.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of the wireless receivers is battery operated and alternates between a sleep state and an awake state.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless transmitter transmits the first wireless signal not more than once every two awake states.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the pre-determined time interval comprises a total duration of a predetermined quantity of one or more of the sleep states and awake states.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the pre-determined time interval comprises a quantity of one or more seconds, minutes, or hours.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein one or more of the sprinkler valves comprises a DC-latching solenoid valve.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the wireless signal comprises encoded data indicating one or more of the wireless receivers for which the wireless signal is intended.