Irrigation Control Systems and Methods

• US 20140129039A1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Inventors: Olive-Chahinian, Ingrid, Vialleton, Myriam, Barbe, Guillaume
• Granted Patent: US 10,327,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/22 Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion

Abstract

Some embodiments provide irrigation systems comprising: a central irrigation controller; a radio module; a control module; and a radio adaptor in communication with the control module; where the control module comprises: a processor, a first communication interface, and one or more valve drivers, where the control module is configured to implement irrigation commands in implementing at least a portion of irrigation programming such that the one or more valve drivers are each configured to control a different irrigation valve in accordance with the irrigation programming; and the radio adapter comprises: a second communication interface communicationally coupled with the first communication interface, and a wireless radio frequency transceiver configured to provide wireless communication with the radio module where the radio adapter is configured to relay information between the radio module and the control module.

Claims

1. An irrigation system, the system comprising:

a computer based central irrigation controller;

a radio module in communication with the central irrigation controller;

a control module comprising;

a processor,

a first communication interface, and

one or more valve drivers coupled with the processor, where the control module is positioned separate from the central irrigation controller and the radio module, where the control module is configured to implement irrigation commands of an irrigation programming such that the one or more valve drivers are each configured to control a different irrigation valve in accordance with the irrigation programming; and

a radio adapter comprising;

a second communication interface communicationally coupled with the first communication interface of the control module providing direct communication between the radio adapter and the first communication interface of the control module, and

a wireless radio frequency transceiver configured to provide wireless communication with the radio module where the radio adapter is configured to relay information between the radio module and the control module.

2. The system of claim 1, where the control module further comprises a control module battery, where the control module battery provides the only power to the control module.

3. The system of claim 2, where the radio adapter further comprises a radio adapter battery, where the radio adapter battery provides the only power to the radio adapter.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a radio relay (RR) configured to wirelessly communicate with the radio module and the radio adapter such that the RR relays communications between the radio module and the radio adapter.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a satellite irrigation controller, where the radio module is coupled with the satellite irrigation controller and the satellite irrigation controller is communicationally coupled with the central irrigation controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the central irrigation controller comprises irrigation central software executed by the central irrigation controller in coordinating irrigation over the system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio adapter is physically cooperated with the control module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control module is configured to receive and locally implement the irrigation programming that specifies the irrigation commands.

9. The system of claim 7, where the radio adaptor is configured to communicate the irrigation commands to the control module.

10. A method of controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, at a radio module, sensor information obtained by a remote first control module directly coupled with a first sensor, where the first control module comprises one or more valve drivers, and the first control module being configured to control, as dictated by irrigation programming, the one or more valve drivers to each control a different irrigation valve in accordance with the irrigation programming;

identifying, at the radio module, one or more other control modules that are associated with the first sensor, where the one or more other control modules are not directly coupled with the first sensor; and

wirelessly communicating, from the radio module, control information based on the sensor information to each of the one or more other control modules such that each of the one or more other control modules accounts for the sensor information when implementing irrigation commands of the irrigation programming in accordance with the control information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wirelessly communicating the control information comprises wirelessly communicating the control information from the radio module to separate radio adapters directly cooperated with and communicationally coupled with at least one of the one or more other control modules, such that each of the radio adapters forwards the control information to the respective one of the one or more other control modules.