Moisture sensor timer

• US 7,203,576 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2005
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Orbit Irrigation Products (Pro-Mark LLC)
• Inventors: Wilson, Chadwick L., Olsen, Christian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick; Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US11/053,647
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 700/284, 405/52, 137/78.3, 239/63
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/165 Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25249 Counter, timer plus microprocessor for real time, jitter
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25278 Timer plus microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/189 Soil moisture sensing

Abstract

A timer that facilitates a user'"'"'s scheduling and controlling of the operation of an irrigation system for irrigating a property, the timer including a base unit electrically connected to the valve, and a handheld unit including a power source, a CPU, a valve controller, a memory device, and software stored in the memory device. The irrigation system includes a valve, a conduit, and a distribution unit that distributes fluid over an irrigation zone of the property. The handheld unit is used remotely from the base unit to modify an irrigation schedule of the valve. The irrigation schedule is used with the valve controller to operate the valve according to the irrigation schedule through communication with the base unit.

Claims

1. A method for setting up a timer to control the operation of an irrigation system on a property, the timer comprising a CPU, memory device, and software stored in the memory device, the irrigation system comprising a valve, a conduit, and a distribution unit, wherein the distribution unit distributes fluid over an irrigation zone of the property, wherein the timer is in communication with a soil moisture sensor disposed within the irrigation zone, the method comprising:

irrigating an irrigation zone;

after irrigating the irrigation zone, automatically associating the affected soil moisture sensor with the irrigation zone, wherein the affected soil moisture sensor is not associated with the irrigation zone before irrigating the irrigation zone;

monitoring the signal of the soil moisture sensor associated with the irrigation zone; and

ending irrigation for the irrigation zone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of using a normalized signal value of the soil moisture sensor to establish an upper soil moisture capacity level and storing the upper soil moisture capacity level for the irrigation zone in the memory device of the timer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of comparing the upper soil moisture capacity level to a database of known soil capacities to determine a soil type in the irrigation zone.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of obtaining the lower soil moisture capacity level from the database of known soil capacities and setting the lower soil moisture capacity level as the baseline at which irrigation is required for the irrigation zone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the timer is in communication with a plurality of soil moisture sensors and the property includes a plurality of irrigation zones, wherein each soil moisture sensor is disposed within an irrigation zone, the method further comprising the step of determining which soil moisture sensor is affected by the irrigation zone being irrigated.

6. A method for using a timer to control the operation of an irrigation system on a property, the timer comprising a CPU, memory device, and software stored in the memory device, the irrigation system comprising a valve, a conduit, and a distribution unit, wherein the distribution unit distributes fluid over an irrigation zone of the property, wherein the timer is in communication with a soil moisture sensor disposed within the irrigation zone, wherein a baseline for the soil moisture sensor is stored in the memory device of the timer, the method comprising:

monitoring a signal of the soil moisture sensor associated with the irrigation zone;

determining whether the signal from the soil moisture sensor has not dropped below the baseline;

determining that an exclusion time is scheduled to follow a next open irrigation window;

determining that a span of the exclusion time is too long by calculating the estimated soil moisture level at the end of the exclusion time from the average rate of moisture loss from a soil type of the irrigation zone, the signal from the soil moisture sensor, and the length of the span of the exclusion time and by comparing the estimated soil moisture level with the baseline; and

causing irrigation of the irrigation zone during the next open irrigation window to achieve an upper soil capacity even though the baseline has not yet been reached, if the estimated soil moisture level at the end of the exclusion time is less than the baseline.