Systems and Methods for Site-Based Irrigation Control
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a site-based computing device having;
a first communication interface configured for communicating with a site-based weather station at a same site as the computing device, the site-based computing device configured for receiving weather data from the site-based weather station via the first communication interface;
a computer processor configured for receiving the weather data and generating an irrigation schedule for the site based on the weather data and boundary conditions for the site; and
a second communication interface configured for communicating with an irrigation controller at the site, the computer processor configured to control irrigation valves at the site, via the second communication interface, and according to the irrigation schedule.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An irrigation system is contained at a particular site, where the site may be a commercial address or a residential address. The system includes a weather station that generates temperature data, precipitation data, and any other useful data that might be used by other components of the system. The system also includes an irrigation controller that uses electrical signals to open and close valves, thereby turning sprinklers on and off, whether zone-by-zone or sprinkler-by-sprinkler. The system further includes a host device which communicates with the weather station and with the irrigation controller. The host device includes a computer processor and one or more wireless interfaces. The host device receives the weather data from the weather station and calculates an amount of desired irrigation, generating an irrigation schedule. The host device then controls the irrigation controller according to the generated irrigation schedule.
16 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
a site-based computing device having; a first communication interface configured for communicating with a site-based weather station at a same site as the computing device, the site-based computing device configured for receiving weather data from the site-based weather station via the first communication interface; a computer processor configured for receiving the weather data and generating an irrigation schedule for the site based on the weather data and boundary conditions for the site; and a second communication interface configured for communicating with an irrigation controller at the site, the computer processor configured to control irrigation valves at the site, via the second communication interface, and according to the irrigation schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method performed by a site-based computing device in communication with a physical weather station at the same site and an irrigation controller at the same site, the method comprising:
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communicating with the weather station using a first communication interface to receive weather data for the site; communicating with a server over the Internet to receive boundary condition parameters regarding the site; generating an irrigation schedule for the site based on the weather data and the boundary condition parameters, wherein the generating is performed using a computer processor of the site-based computing device; and communicating with the irrigation controller to cause the irrigation controller to open and close a plurality of water valves at the site according to the irrigation schedule and according to a communication protocol associated with the irrigation controller. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An irrigation system located at a site to be irrigated, the irrigation system comprising:
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means for communicating with an on-site physical weather station using a first communication interface to receive weather data for the site; means for communicating with a server over the Internet to receive boundary condition parameters regarding the site; means for generating an irrigation schedule for the site based on the weather data and the boundary condition parameters; and means for communicating with the irrigation controller to cause the irrigation controller to open and close a plurality of water valves at the site according to the irrigation schedule and according to a communication protocol associated with the irrigation controller. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification