Irrigation control and flow management system
First Claim
1. A method of controlling an irrigation control system in accordance with available pump capacity and local flow constraints, the method comprising the steps of:
- activating at least one watering schedule having a plurality of programmed watering times for a plurality of stations;
placing the anticipated water flow requests for all active schedules in a flow management roster; and
processing the requests for watering on a priority basis, includinggranting requests for watering at specific stations, based on availability of pump capacity and maintaining flow in local zones, and in water lines feeding the local zones, below designated maxima, andupdating the flow management roster was watering continues, to reflect the passage of time and the current total flow conditions;
wherein the step of granting requests for watering at specific stations includesdetermining the flow capacity presently available in a predefined watering zone in which each station is located;
denying the request if granting it would exceed the zone capacity for water flow;
determining the flow capacity of each branch water line upstream of each predefined watering zone;
denying the request if granting it would exceed the capacity for water flow in any branch water line delivering water to the watering zone;
determining the current pump capacity of the irrigation system, the currently running flow rate in the system, and the currently requested additional flows; and
denying the request if the currently requested flows in the system are insufficient to justify incrementally expanding the current pump capacity of the system.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for controlling an irrigation system within prescribed limits of pump capacity and flow capacity through water line branches and defined local zones. Watering schedules may be all simultaneously activated and will make multiple requests for watering time, for posting in a flow management roster. The requests in the roster are processed and satisfied only if overall pump capacity permits and if local flow zone capacities, and the capacities of water lines feeding the flow zones, are not exceeded. Pump capacity is expanded incrementally as more requests are processed, but only in accordance with predefined limits on the conditions that have to be met before moving to an expanded capacity. This flow management technique is best employed with a cycle-and-soak feature to avoid runoff problems at selected sites, and using an evapotranspiration approach to vary the watering times in accordance with changing weather conditions.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of controlling an irrigation control system in accordance with available pump capacity and local flow constraints, the method comprising the steps of:
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activating at least one watering schedule having a plurality of programmed watering times for a plurality of stations; placing the anticipated water flow requests for all active schedules in a flow management roster; and processing the requests for watering on a priority basis, including granting requests for watering at specific stations, based on availability of pump capacity and maintaining flow in local zones, and in water lines feeding the local zones, below designated maxima, and updating the flow management roster was watering continues, to reflect the passage of time and the current total flow conditions; wherein the step of granting requests for watering at specific stations includes determining the flow capacity presently available in a predefined watering zone in which each station is located; denying the request if granting it would exceed the zone capacity for water flow; determining the flow capacity of each branch water line upstream of each predefined watering zone; denying the request if granting it would exceed the capacity for water flow in any branch water line delivering water to the watering zone; determining the current pump capacity of the irrigation system, the currently running flow rate in the system, and the currently requested additional flows; and denying the request if the currently requested flows in the system are insufficient to justify incrementally expanding the current pump capacity of the system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method of controlling an irrigation control system in accordance with available pump capacity and local flow constraints, the method comprising the steps of:
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defining the watering times for a plurality of irrigation stations; placing the defined watering times as flow requests in a flow management roster; and processing the flow requests, including granting requests for watering at specific stations, based on availability of pump capacity and maintaining flow in local zones, and in water lines feeding the local zones, below designated maxima, and updating the flow management roster as watering continues, to reflect the passage of time and the current total flow conditions; wherein the step of granting requests includes determining the flow capacity presently available in a predefined watering zone in which each station is located; denying the request if granting it would exceed the zone capacity for water flow; determining the flow capacity of each branch water line upstream of each predefined watering zone; denying the request if granting it would exceed the capacity for water flow in any branch water line delivering water to the watering zone; determining the current pump capacity of the irrigation system, the currently running flow rate in the system, and the currently requested additional flows; and denying the request if the currently requested flows in the system are insufficient to justify incrementally expanding the current pump capacity of the system. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. Apparatus for controlling an irrigation control system in accordance with available pump capacity and local flow constraints, the apparatus comprising:
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means for defining the watering times for a plurality of irrigation stations; means for defining the watering times for a plurality of irrigation stations; means for placing the defined watering times as flow requests in a flow management roster; and means for processing the flow requests, including means for granting requests based on availability of pump capacity and maintaining flow in local zones, and in water lines feeding the local zones, below designated maxima, and means for updating the flow management roster as watering continues, to reflect the passage of time and the current total flow conditions; wherein the means for granting requests includes means for determining the flow capacity presently available in a predefined watering zone in which each station is located; means for denying the request if granting it would exceed the zone capacity for water flow; means for determining the flow capacity of each branch water line upstream of each predefined watering zone; means for denying the request if granting it would exceed the capacity for water flow in any branch water line delivering water to the watering zone; means for determining the current pump capacity of the irrigation system, the currently running flow rate in the system, and the currently requested additional flows; and means for denying the request if the currently requested flows in the system are insufficient to justify incrementally expanding the current pump capacity of the system. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of controlling an irrigation control system in accordance with an evapotranspiration (ET) level, available pump capacity and local flow constraints, the method comprising the steps of:
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supplying a watering schedule having a plurality of programmed watering times for a plurality of stations; supplying a reference ET level (ETR) that is a representative measure of the depth of water to be spread per day in an irrigation schedule; supplying a weather ET value representative of the weather conditions currently prevailing; adjusting the programmed watering times in the schedule by a factor proportional to the ratio (ET/ETR), whereby the watering times will be varied qualitatively in proportion to the weather ET value; placing the watering times as flow requests in a flow management roster; and processing the flow requests, including granting requests based on availability of pump capacity and maintaining flow in local zones, and in water lines feeding the local zones, below designated maxima, and updating the flow management roster as watering continues, to reflect the passage of time and the current total flow conditions. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification