Electronic interface associable with an electronic control unit for an automatic watering system for remote controlled management of the system

• US 6,259,970 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Claber SpA
• Original Assignee: Claber SpA
• Inventors: Brundisini, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US09/150,675
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/14-18, 700/284, 239/69, 239/70, 137/624.11, 137/624.2, 379/102.01, 379/102.07
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering

Abstract

An electronic interface associable to an electronic control unit for an automatic watering system for remote controlled management of the watering system is described. The electron unit has a plurality of output lines suitable to control a respective plurality of electro-valve lines of the watering system. The electronic interface includes a microprocessor, a connector for connecting the electronic interface with the watering system, a first interface with at least one communication channel having a remote controlled management apparatus, a second interface with a first plurality of input lines connectable with respective output lines of the control unit to control directly the electro-valves, and a first memory associated with the microprocessor in such a way that the microprocessor can detect the changes of state of the output lines of the control unit and store the changes of state in the first memory. The microprocessor can communicate the changes of state to the remote controlled management apparatus, upon request.

Claims

1. An electronic interface associable to an electronic control unit for an automatic watering system for remote controlled management of the system, said electronic control unit having a plurality of output lines suitable to control a respective plurality of electro-valve lines of the watering system, said electronic interface comprising:

a microprocessor;

a connector for connecting said electronic interface with said watering system;

first interfacing means to connect said microprocessor with at least one communication channel having a remote controlled management apparatus;

second interfacing means to connect said microprocessor through said connector with a first plurality of input lines connectable with respective output lines of said electronic control unit to control directly said electro-valves;

a first memory means associated with said microprocessor in such a way that said microprocessor can detect the changes of state of said output lines of the control unit and store said changes of state in said first memory means and can communicate them to said remote controlled management apparatus, upon request.

2. The electronic interface according to claim 1, wherein said second interfacing means allow the interfacing of said microprocessor to output lines of said electronic control unit, which carry signals both in alternate and continuous voltage.

3. The electronic interface according to claim 2, wherein said second interfacing means allow an optoisolated interfacing between said first plurality of input lines and said microprocessor.

4. The electronic interface according to claim 3, wherein said first memory means comprise a first non-volatile memory that is electrically programmable and cancellable.

5. The electronic interface according to claim 4, wherein said first memory is structured in the form of a circular buffer of blocks, each one suitable to contain an event that is recorded by said electronic interface.

6. The electronic interface according to claim 5, wherein said each block contains an identifier of a type of an event being recorded, and data relative to the event.

7. The electronic interface according to claim 4, wherein said first interfacing means comprise an internal modulator/demodulator associated with said microprocessor, and an interface circuit for a telephone line connected with said internal modulator/demodulator, and at least one channel of communication having one telephone line.

8. The electronic interface according to claim 7, further comprising:

an incoming call detection circuit connected between said telephone line interface and said microprocessor in order to detect an incoming call on the telephone line and to signal said microprocessor of said incoming call.

9. The electronic interface according to claim 8, further comprising:

a DTMF tone detection circuit connected between said telephone line interface and said microprocessor for detecting DTMF tones on the telephone line that control said microprocessor.

10. The electronic interface according to claim 9, further comprising:

a DTMF tone generation circuit connected between said microprocessor and the telephone line interface for generating DTMF tones to be transmitted on the telephone line in response to commands coming from said microprocessor.

11. The electronic interface according to claim 10, further comprising:

a vocal synthesis circuit connected between said microprocessor and the telephone line interface for generating vocal messages to be transmitted on the telephone line in response to commands coming from said microprocessor.

12. The electronic interface according to claim 1, wherein said first interfacing means includes a RS-232 communication interface circuit that is associated with said microprocessor, and said at least one communication channel includes one RS-292 communication line.

13. The electronic interface according to claim 1, wherein said first interfacing means includes a RS-485 communication interface circuit that is associated with said microprocessor, and said at least one communication channel includes one RS-485 communication line.

14. The electronic interface according to claim 1, wherein said first interfacing means includes a RS-422 communication interface circuit that is associated with said microprocessor, and said at least one communication channel includes one RS-422 communication line.

15. The electronic interface according to claim 1, wherein said first interfacing means includes a conveyed waves communication interface circuit that is associated with said microprocessor, and said at least one communication channel includes one power of mains line.

16. The electronic interface according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interface circuit for flow sensor for interfacing said microprocessor with an input line connectable with a flow sensor of the watering system, for allowing said microprocessor a dynamic detection of a flow of water that feeds the watering system.

17. The electronic interface according to claim 1, comprising:

an interface circuit for controlling a master valve of the watering system to interface an output line of said microprocessor to an output line of said master valve of the watering system in such a way that said microprocessor can produce closing and opening of the master valve.

18. The electronic interface according to claim 1, comprising:

second memory means for storing programming parameters for the electronic control unit, that are received from said remote management apparatus of the control unit and are transferable to the control unit through a data transfer interface to/from the electronic control unit.

19. The electronic interface according to claim 18, wherein said second memory means store said programming parameters memorized by the control unit and read by the control unit through said data transfer interface.

20. The electronic interface according to claim 19, wherein said second memory means store said parameters for a personalization of an interface operation.

21. The electronic interface according to claim 18, wherein said second memory means can be programmed to generate alarm signals upon anomalous operation conditions.

22. The electronic interface according to claim 19, wherein said data transfer interface interfacing an IIC communication bus internal to an interface with an IIC communication bus internal to said control unit.

23. The electronic interface according to claim 22, further comprising:

third memory means for serving as support memory in said data transfer operations to and toward the control unit.

24. The electronic interface according to claim 1 further comprising:

configuration means associated with said microprocessor to configure the electronic interface as master or as slave in a connection of a plurality of interfaces to a same remote control management apparatus.