Expandable irrigation controller

• US 7,574,285 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl L.C. Kah Jr
• Original Assignee: Carl L.C. Kah Jr
• Inventors: Kah, Carl L. C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBERTSON, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US11/714,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 700/284, 700/16, 700/17, 137/624.2, 137/624.11, 137/624.16, 361/614, 361/624, 361/627, 361/632, 361/633, 361/636, 361/639, 361/640, 361/655, 239/69
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/165 Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86389 Programmer or timer

Abstract

An expandable irrigation controller for controlling a plurality of watering stations in an irrigation system includes a removable front panel and an inner housing, connected to the front panel. The removable front panel includes a plurality of manual controls operable to input instructions for a watering program, a memory operable to store the input instructions and a controller operable to execute the watering program. The inner housing includes a circuit board including control connectors which are connected electrically to the controller and a station module operable to provide an ON/OFF signal to at least one watering station of the irrigation system. The station module is electrically connected to the circuit board via the control connectors and the ON/OFF signal is provided based on instructions from the controller in accordance with the watering program. The control connectors are positioned in a substantially continuous line extending across the inner housing such that the station module is connectable to the control connectors at substantially any desired location. Multiple modules of different sizes may be mounted in the inner housing as desired. Control information may be provided via a radio frequency supply and received by a radio frequency module to be provided to the station modules and to external station modules in an external housing.

Claims

1. An expandable irrigation controller for controlling a plurality of watering stations in an irrigation system comprises:

a removable front panel, the removable front panel comprising;

a plurality of manual controls operable to input instructions for a watering program;

a memory operable to store the input instructions; and

a controller operable to execute the watering program; and

an inner housing, connected to the front panel, the inner housing comprising;

a circuit board including control connectors which are connected electrically to the controller; and

a station module operable to provide an ON/OFF signal to at least one watering station of the irrigation system, wherein

the station module is electrically connected to the circuit board via the control connectors and the ON/OFF signal is provided based on instructions from the controller in accordance with the watering program, and wherein

the control connectors are positioned in a substantially continuous line extending across the inner housing such that the station module is connectable to the control connectors at substantially any desired location.

2. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the station module further comprises:

a control contact operable to electrically connect the station module to at least one control connector of the circuit board;

a switching circuit operable to provide the ON/OFF signal for the watering station; and

a terminal operable to electrically connect the station module to the watering station to send the ON/OFF signal to the watering station.

3. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the inner housing further comprises:

a terminal strip extending across a back wall of the inner housing including a plurality of terminal connections, each of which is operable to provide an electrical connection to a watering station, wherein the circuit board includes a plurality of output connectors, each of which is connected to a corresponding terminal connection of the terminal strip.

4. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 3, wherein the station module further comprises:

a control contact operable to electrically connect the station module to at least one control connector of the circuit board;

a switching circuit operable to provide the ON/OFF signal for the watering station; and

a terminal contact operable for connection to an output connector to provide the ON/OFF signal to a terminal connection of the terminal strip.

5. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the inner housing further comprises a back wall with a plurality of openings shaped to accommodate a screw that passes through the station module and into at least one of the openings to secure the station module in the inner housing.

6. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the inner housing further comprises a back wall with a slot formed therein for accommodating a screw extending through the station modules and into the slot to secure the station module to the inner housing.

7. The expandable irrigation modules of claim 1, wherein the inner housing further comprises a cover formed over the circuit board to cover the circuit board, wherein the station modules slide under the cover to contact the control connectors of the circuit board.

8. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 7, wherein the station module further comprises a resilient locking tab formed on a top surface thereof such that the resilient locking tab is depressed to allow the station module to slide under the cover for connection to the circuit board and engages a lip on a bottom surface of the cover to resist removal of the station module.

9. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 8, wherein the locking tab includes an extended portion that extends outward from under the cover after the station module is under the cover such that the extended portion is accessible to a user to depress in order to release the locking tab from the lip.

10. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 7, wherein the cover further comprises a plurality of slots formed therein in predetermined positions.

11. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 10, wherein the station module further comprises a protrusion extending from a top surface thereof such that the protrusion aligns with at least one of the slots formed in the cover to align the module in the inner housing as desired.

12. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the circuit board further comprises two electrical conductors extending across the inner housing and electrically connected to the controller, wherein control information from the controller is encoded for transmission on the two electrical conductors.

13. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 12, wherein the station module further comprises:

control contacts operable to electrically connect the station module to the two electrical conductors;

a decoder circuit operable to decode the control information from the controller sent to the station module by the two electrical conductors;

a switching circuit operable to provide the ON/OFF signal for the watering station based on the decoded information; and

a terminal connected the watering station to send the ON/OFF signal to the watering station.

14. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 13, further comprising:

an expander module mounted in the inner housing and connected to the two electrical conductors, wherein the expander module is operable to pass the control information from the two electrical conductors to an external housing in which one or more external station modules are mounted, such that the control information from the controller is used to control the external station modules.

15. The expandable irrigation module of claim 1, wherein the inner housing further comprises a second station module of a different size, the second station module operable to provide an ON/OFF signal to a second watering station of the irrigation system, wherein

the second station module is electrically connected to the circuit board via the control connectors and the ON/OFF signal is provided based on instructions from the controller in accordance with the watering program, and wherein

the second station module is connected to the control connectors at a desired second location.

16. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 15, wherein the second station module further comprises:

a control contact operable to electrically connect the station module to at least one control connector of the circuit board;

a switching circuit operable to provide the ON/OFF signal for the second watering station; and

a terminal operable to electrically connect the second station module to the second watering station to send the ON/OFF signal to the second watering station.

17. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 15, wherein the inner housing further comprises:

a terminal strip extending across a back wall of the inner housing including a plurality of terminal connections, each of which is operable to provide an electrical connection to a watering station, wherein the circuit board includes a plurality of output connectors, each of which corresponds to one of the terminal connections of the terminal strip.

18. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 17, wherein the second station module further comprises:

a control contact operable to electrically connect the second station module to at least one control connector of the circuit board;

a switching circuit operable to provide the ON/OFF signal for the watering station; and

a terminal contact operable to electrically connect the second station module to an output connector to provide the ON/OFF signal to a terminal connection of the terminal strip.

19. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 15, wherein the circuit board further comprises two electrical conductors extending across the inner housing and electrically connected to the controller, wherein control information from the controller is encoded for transmission on the two electrical conductors.

20. The expandable irrigation controller of claim 19, wherein the second station module further comprises:

control contacts operable to electrically connect the second station module to the two electrical conductors;

a decoder circuit operable to decode information from the controller sent to the second station module by the two electrical decoders;

a switching circuit operable to provide the ON/OFF signal for the second watering station based on the decoded information; and

a terminal operable to electrically connect the second station module to the second watering station to send the ON/OFF signal to the second watering station.

21. An expandable irrigation controller for controlling a plurality of watering stations in an irrigation system comprises:

a removable front panel, the removable front panel comprising;

a plurality of manual controls operable to input instructions for a watering program;

a memory operable to store the input instructions; and

a controller operable to execute the watering program; and

an inner housing, connected to the front panel, the inner housing comprising;

a circuit board including control connectors that are connected electrically to the controller; and

a station module operable to provide an ON/OFF signal to at least one watering station of the irrigation system, wherein

the station module is electrically connected to the circuit board via the control connectors and the ON/OFF signal is provided based on instructions from the controller in accordance with the watering program, where

the control connectors are positioned in a substantially continuous line extending across the inner housing such that the station module is connectable to the control connectors at substantially any desired location, and wherein

the controller sends an inquiry signal to the station module prior to enacting control and confirms the presence of the station module by determining whether the station module draws current in response to the inquiry signal.