Irrigation controller
First Claim
1. An improved irrigation controller for individually and automatically controlling water flow to a plurality of individual watering stations, which comprises:
- (a) means for storing a programmed watering schedule which schedule is to be executed over a period of days, the schedule having at least one user selectable parameter of watering operation that may having a number of possible values up to a predetermined maximum number of values;
(b) means for monitoring the passage of time and for controlling the operation of the individual watering stations in accordance with the stored watering schedule; and
(c) a slide potentiometer for inputting into the stored watering schedule a plurality of possible values for the parameter, the slide potentiometer having a plurality of individual sliders each of which may be slid to a position corresponding to one particular value of the parameter which particular value is unique and is different from all the other values that may be set by any of the other sliders, the numbers of sliders corresponding to the maximum number of values allowed for the parameter, wherein the sliders are all movable in the same elongated slideway for ease of use and display, and wherein the slideway includes a starting zone in which all of the sliders can be received to select no value for the parameter, wherein a value for the parameter is input by a slider only when the slider is moved out of the starting zone.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved irrigation controller of solid state design utilizes a microcomputer which retains and executes a watering schedule input by a user through data input means. One of the parameters of system operation is the times of day in which irrigation will start when the current day is selected to be active. The controller of this invention uses a slide potentiometer having multiple sliders which may be moved in a single slideway for setting multiple start times determined by the slider positions. In addition, a hot post terminal is provided in the controller connected to ground. This terminal can be used to determine station assignment by touching the station wires to the terminal as power is applied along a common line to the actuating devices, i.e. solenoids, of the various stations.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. An improved irrigation controller for individually and automatically controlling water flow to a plurality of individual watering stations, which comprises:
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(a) means for storing a programmed watering schedule which schedule is to be executed over a period of days, the schedule having at least one user selectable parameter of watering operation that may having a number of possible values up to a predetermined maximum number of values; (b) means for monitoring the passage of time and for controlling the operation of the individual watering stations in accordance with the stored watering schedule; and (c) a slide potentiometer for inputting into the stored watering schedule a plurality of possible values for the parameter, the slide potentiometer having a plurality of individual sliders each of which may be slid to a position corresponding to one particular value of the parameter which particular value is unique and is different from all the other values that may be set by any of the other sliders, the numbers of sliders corresponding to the maximum number of values allowed for the parameter, wherein the sliders are all movable in the same elongated slideway for ease of use and display, and wherein the slideway includes a starting zone in which all of the sliders can be received to select no value for the parameter, wherein a value for the parameter is input by a slider only when the slider is moved out of the starting zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An improved irrigation controller for individually and automatically controlling water flow to a plurality of individual watering stations, which comprises:
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(a) means for storing a programmed watering schedule which schedule is to be executed over a period of days, the schedule having a plurality of user selectable parameters including which days in a predetermined time period are to be active days in which irrigation is allowed, which time of day irrigation is to start on an active day, and how long each station is to run in an irrigation sequence on each active day following each start time; (b) means for monitoring the passage of time and for controlling the operation of the individual watering stations in accordance with the stored watering schedule; and (c) data input means for the stored watering schedule which comprises; (i) data input means for selecting which days in a predetermined time period are to be active days in which irrigation is allowed; (ii) a slide potentiometer for selecting a plurality of possible times of day on an active day that irrigation is to start with a predetermined maximum number of start times being selectable, the slide potentiometer having a plurality of sliders individually movable in a single slideway for selecting a corresponding plurality of start times equivalent to the slider positions and for displaying those start times to the user according to the slider positions, and wherein the slideway includes a starting zone in which all of the sliders can be received to select no start time, wherein a value for the start time is input by a slider only when the slider is moved out of the starting zone; and (iii) data input means for selecting how long each station is to run in an irrigation sequence following a start time. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. An improved irrigation controller for individually and automatically controlling water flow to a plurality of individual watering stations, which comprises:
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(a) means for storing a programmed watering schedule which schedule is to be executed over a period of days, the schedule having at least one user selectable parameter of watering operation that may have a number of possible values up to a predetermined maximum number of values; (b) means for monitoring the passage of time and for controlling the operation of the individual watering stations in accordance with the stored watering schedule; and (c) slide potentiometer for inputting into the watering schedule a plurality of possible values for the one parameter of watering operation up to the predetermined maximum number of values allowed for the parameter, the slide potentiometer comprising; (i) a single, common resistance element connected between high and low reference voltages; and (ii) a plurality of movable sliders, wherein each slider has an electrically conductive wiper element in contact with the common resistance element such that a voltage is read from each wiper element which is proportional to the position of the slider relative to the common resistance element and which represents a distinct value of the one parameter which value is different from the values being input by any of the other sliders, and wherein each of the sliders is individually movable relative to the common resistance element to vary the position of the wiper element and thereby change the voltage which may be read from the wiper element and thus the value of the parameter represented by that voltage, whereby the sliders collectively can input multiple and different values for the one parameter to the watering schedule. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification