Wireless soil moisture meter network

• US 6,975,236 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2003
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blue Clover Design, LLC
• Original Assignee: Blue Clover Design, LLC
• Inventors: Staples, Peter Ethan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/347,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,059 Days
• Field of Search: 340602-604, 340/584, 340/618, 340/620, 340/539.16, 340/870.06, 340/870.01, 340/612, 340/539.17, 340/870.11, 340/870.16, 340/870.17, 73/73, 73/13.1, 73/17.3
• US Class Current: 340/602
• 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: G08B 21/20 responsive to moisture

Abstract

A wireless soil moisture meter network includes a central display unit and a plurality of remote sensor units. Each sensor unit uses a probe to measure moisture content in soil, and uses a wireless transmitter to transmit the measurement through a wireless channel to the central display unit. The central display unit receives and displays the measurement in a format selectable by a user. The user may add to or remove from the network a sensor unit using a user interface of the central display unit.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a wireless soil moisture meter network, the method comprising:

(a) using a portable central display unit to assign a wireless channel number to a remote sensor;

(b) upon the activation of a synch mode, placing the central display unit in a wait state until a predefined bit sequence is received; and

(c) enabling the sensor to send the predefined bit sequence and a unique identifier of the sensor to the central display unit.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the steps of (a), (b), and (c) to add additional remote sensors to the network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the identifier at the central display unit for the assigned channel number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the central display unit is set to an ALL mode before the wireless channel number is assigned.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless channel number is assigned using a channel button of the central display unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined bit sequence and the unique identifier are sent when a synch button is activated at the remote sensor.

7. A method for establishing a network between a central display unit and an environmental sensor, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a channel for the sensor;

(b) activating a “

wait”

mode on the display unit;

(c) transmitting a sensor identifier from the sensor to the display unit; and

(d) storing the sensor identifier and corresponding channel in a memory device of the display unit.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step (a) further includes:

activating an “

add channel”

mode on the display unit.

9. A method for establishing a network between a central display unit, a first environmental sensor, and a second environmental sensor, comprising the steps of:

(a) activating a “

wait”

state for the display unit and transmitting a predefined sequence and a first sensor ID from the first sensor to the display unit;

(b) upon receiving the predefined sequence and the first sensor ID, recording the presence of the first sensor in a memory device;

(c) activating a “

wait”

state for the display unit and transmitting the predefined sequence and a second sensor ID from the second sensor to the display unit; and

(d) upon receiving the predefined sequence and the second sensor ID, recording the presence of the second sensor in the memory device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (a) and step (c) further include:

activating the “

wait”

state for the display unit upon the activation of an “

add channel”

mode on the display unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further includes:

allowing selection of a first channel for the first sensor, end wherein step (c) further includes;

allowing selection of a second channel for the second sensor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (b) further includes:

recording the presence of the first sensor and the corresponding first channel selection in the memory device, and wherein step (d) further includes;

recording the presence of the second sensor and the corresponding second channel selection in the memory device.

13. A wireless network comprising:

a first environmental sensor unit including a sensor adapted to measure an environmental condition, a transmitter adapted to transmit a data stream through a wireless channel, and a button adapted to cause the transmitter to transmit a predefined sequence and a first sensor ID upon activation;

a second environmental sensor unit including a sensor adapted to measure an environmental condition, a transmitter adapted to transmit a data stream through a wireless channel, and a button adapted to cause the transmitter to transmit the predefined sequence and a second sensor ID upon activation; and

a central display unit including a receiver adapted to receive a data stream through a wireless channel, a memory device, and a processor having an “

add channel”

mode in which the processor is adapted to record the presence of the first environment sensor unit in the memory device upon the receipt of the predefined sequence and the first sensor ID and further adapted to record the presence of the second environment sensor unit in the memory device upon the receipt of the predefined sequence and the second sensor ID.

14. The wireless network of claim 13, wherein the sensors of the first environmental sensor unit and the second environment sensor unit are adapted to measure soil moisture levels.

15. The wireless network of claim 13, wherein the first environmental sensor unit and the second environmental sensor unit further include a controller adapted to cause the sensor to measure an environmental condition and to cause the transmitter to transmit the measurement.

16. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein the central display unit further includes a screen, and wherein the processor also has a “

display”

mode in which the processor is further adapted to display the measurement of a sensor on the screen.

17. The wireless network of claim 13, wherein the processor is further adapted to enter a “

wait”

state while in the “

add channel”

mode.