Electronic irrigation system software

• US 7,584,023 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Weeldreyer, Christopher Douglas, Palmer, Doug, Huffman, Russ, Standerfer, Paul, Lonn, Dana R., Fortin, Nathan J., Stucke, David, Wright, James T. III, Calde, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US11/674,107
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83, 700/284, 239/69, 239/70, 239/99
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 27/00 Self-acting watering devices, e.g. for flower-pots
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention includes irrigation control software for a computer that interacts with the features of a plurality of advanced sprinklers, environmental sensors, and other available data. The irrigation control software provides a graphical user interface to create a more efficient irrigation scheduling control interface.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a pop-up rotary sprinkler of an irrigation system comprising:

providing a computer in communication with a sprinkler;

executing an irrigation control program on said computer;

said irrigation control program further comprising a graphical user interface;

receiving soil moisture data for an area of turf with said irrigation control program;

determining with said irrigation control program an area of turf that requires water based on said soil moisture data;

determining with said irrigation control program a watering arc sized to fit only said area of turf that requires water;

determining watering arc control data for said pop-up rotary sprinkler;

communicating said watering arc control data to said sprinkler;

watering an area adjacent to said sprinkler based on said watering arc control data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining watering arc control data for said pop-up rotary sprinkler further comprises determining a first absolute arc stop position and determining a second absolute arc stop position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining watering arc control data for said pop-up rotary sprinkler further comprises determining a sprinkler rotation speed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining watering arc control data for said pop-up rotary sprinkler further comprises determining a sprinkler rotation speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said executing an irrigation control program on said computer further comprises displaying a graphical representation of said sprinkler.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said executing an irrigation control program on said computer further comprises displaying a graphical representation of said watering area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining watering arc control data for said pop-up rotary sprinkler further comprises automatically suggesting an amount of water to distribute during a predetermined time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said suggesting an amount of water to distribute during a predetermined time further comprises calculating a rotation speed of a sprinkler head of said sprinkler.

9. The method of claim 1, said executing an irrigation control program on said computer is followed by obtaining feedback data from said sprinkler.

10. A method of controlling a pop-up rotary sprinkler of an irrigation system comprising:

providing a computer in communication with a sprinkler;

executing an irrigation control program on said computer;

communicating sensor data to said irrigation control program;

displaying said sensor data with a graphical user interface;

said sensor data comprising a vertical height of a sprinkler riser of said pop-up rotary sprinkler;

operating said graphical user interface to produce control data for said sprinkler;

communicating said control data to a controller of said sprinkler;

watering an area adjacent to said sprinkler based on said control data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said communicating sensor data to said irrigation control program further comprises communicating a nozzle position of said sprinkler.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said communicating a nozzle position of said sprinkler further comprises communicating an absolute position of said nozzle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said communicating a nozzle position of said sprinkler further comprises determining an absolute position of a body of said sprinkler and determining a relative position of said nozzle relative to said body of said sprinkler.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said communicating sensor data to said irrigation control program further comprises communicating if said sprinkler riser is in a popped up or retracted position.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said communicating sensor data from said sprinkler to said irrigation control program is followed by communicating a soil moisture sensor data to said irrigation control program.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said displaying said sensor data with a graphical user interface further comprises calculating a moisture need for said area adjacent said sprinkler and displaying said moisture need on said graphical user interface.

17. A method of determining a watering area of a pop-up rotary sprinkler with an irrigation software comprising:

selecting an absolute position of a first arc limit of said sprinkler with said irrigation software;

selecting an absolute position of a second arc limit of said sprinkler with said irrigation software;

communicating said first arc limit and said second arc limit to said sprinkler; and

activating said sprinkler to water said watering area according said first arc limit and said second arc limit

receiving sensor data from at least one sprinkler;

said sensor data comprising a vertical height of a nozzle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said selecting an absolute position of a first arc limit of said sprinkler with irrigation software further comprises operating a graphical user interface.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said activating said sprinkler to water said watering area according said first arc limit and said second arc limit further comprises calculating a speed of rotation of said sprinkler to cause said sprinkler to only water a whole number of passes within said first arc limit and said second arc limit.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said activating said sprinkler to water said watering area according said first arc limit and said second arc limit further comprises:

determining a desired moisture value of an area near said sprinkler with said irrigation software;

determining a moisture value of said area near said sprinkler with said irrigation software;

determining a minimum watering arc for said sprinkler needed to irrigate said area near said sprinkler with said irrigation software; and

determining a minimum amount of water for said sprinkler needed to adjust said moisture value to said desired moisture value with said irrigation software.