Irrigation Controller With Weather Station

• US 20160212952A1
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Runge, Thomas H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/167 Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture

Abstract

An irrigation control module is described that adjusts a watering schedule for a connected irrigation controller based on weather data provided by a local weather station. The irrigation control module can add additional weather-based irrigation schedule adjustments to an irrigation controller that may otherwise lack the hardware (e.g., wireless transmitter, sufficient memory) and software (e.g., evapotranspiration algorithms) to store and interpret weather data from a weather station.

Claims

1. An irrigation control device for modifying an irrigation controller comprising:

a control device housing separate from said irrigation controller;

electrical circuitry disposed in said housing and configured to process and store data;

a display in communication with said electrical circuitry;

a first communication link configured to communicate data between said irrigation control device and said irrigation controller; and

,

a zip code input interface executed by said electrical circuitry and displayed on said display;

said zip code input interface accepting input of a zip code by a user;

wherein said irrigation control device determines schedule adjustment commands based in part on a current date and said zip code inputted by said user; and

wherein said irrigation control device transmits said schedule adjustment commands over said first communication link to said irrigation controller to modify a device operation schedule.