Same code base in irrigation control devices and related methods

• US 8,224,493 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Ryan L., Kew, Whitney M., Columbo, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Sunray
• Application Number:
  US11/421,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,240 Days
• Field of Search: 604/31
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/22 Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion

Abstract

Various embodiments are described in which different irrigation controllers in an irrigation control system have machine code having a same code base. In one implementation, a first irrigation control unit comprises a processor and a medium storing a first set of machine code to be executed by the processor. The first set is based on a portion of source code on which a second set of machine code stored in a second irrigation control unit is based, and the first and second sets not identical to each other. The first and second irrigation control units are in a predefined hierarchical control relationship. In one variation, the first and second control units have at least related operating systems. In another variation, a central controller includes machine code developed from at least a portion of the same source code as machine code in a remote controller for simulation or execution purposes.

Claims

1. A first irrigation control unit comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium coupled to the processor and storing operating system machine code configured to be executed by the processor to implement a first operating system,

the computer readable medium storing application machine code including a first set of machine code configured to be executed by the processor, wherein the first set of machine code is based on a portion of source code on which a second set of machine code stored in a second irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a second operating system is based, the second set of machine code configured for use in the second operating system and to accomplish an irrigation control function when executed, the first set of machine code and the second set of machine code are not identical to each other and perform the same function when executed, wherein the processor does not execute the second set of machine code, wherein the first set of machine code is not transferred from the first irrigation control unit to the second irrigation control unit,

wherein the application machine code further comprises emulation machine code in addition to the first set of machine code, the emulation machine code configured to act as an interface between the operating system machine code and the first set of machine code,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the application machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system by executing the first set of machine code and the emulation machine code.

2. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first set of machine code is separately developed after development of the second set of machine code.

3. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the second operating system is different than the first operating system.

4. The irrigation control unit of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to execute the application machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system by emulating at least a portion of the second operating system within the first operating system and executing the first set of machine code.

5. The irrigation control unit of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to execute the application machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system without emulating at least a portion of the second operating system within the first operating system and executing the first set of machine code.

6. The irrigation control unit of claim 3, wherein the application machine code implements central irrigation control functionality including a dry run feature that can simulate irrigation control functionality at a plurality of remote irrigation controllers including the second irrigation control unit, the first set of machine code comprising machine code that corresponds to an irrigation engine machine code of the second irrigation control unit,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the application machine code to perform a dry run of the plurality of remote irrigation controllers including the second irrigation control unit, and to simulate the irrigation control function in the first operating system.

7. The irrigation control unit of claim 3 wherein the second operating system is a specific purpose computer operating system and the first operating system is a general purpose computer operating system.

8. The irrigation control unit of claim 7 wherein the second operating system is implemented in firmware of the second irrigation control unit and the first operating system is a personal computer operating system.

9. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the second operating system is at least related to the first operating system.

10. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first irrigation control unit has a predefined hierarchical control relationship with the second irrigation control unit.

11. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first irrigation control unit comprises a central controller and the second irrigation control unit comprises one of a satellite controller or a supervisor controller.

12. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first irrigation control unit comprises a supervisor controller controlled by a central controller and the second irrigation control unit comprises a satellite controller controlled by the supervisor controller.

13. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first set of machine code comprises machine code corresponding to an irrigation engine machine code of the second irrigation control unit.

14. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to execute the application machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system by executing the first set of machine code in order to simulate the irrigation control function.

15. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to execute the application machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system by executing the first set of machine code and to output signaling to implement the executed irrigation control function.

16. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first set of machine code is based on a copy of the portion of source code on which the second set of machine code is based.

17. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the first set of machine code is derived from a portion of source code on which the second set of machine code is derived.

18. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein a portion of source code corresponding to the first set of machine code is an identical copy of the portion of source code corresponding to the second set of machine code.

19. The irrigation control unit of claim 1 wherein the computer readable medium stores the application machine code including a plurality of versions of the first set of machine code, each version corresponding to one of a plurality of versions of the second set of machine code.

20. The irrigation control unit of claim 19 wherein the application machine code is configured when executed by the processor to cause the processor to retrieve a version of the stored plurality of versions of the first set of machine code that corresponds to a corresponding version of the second set of machine code which operates on the second irrigation control unit.

21. The irrigation control unit of claim 19 wherein upon execution by the processor, the application machine code is configured to cause the processor to determine which version of the plurality of versions of the second set of machine code the second irrigation control unit operates in accordance with.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of machine code cannot be executed by the second irrigation control unit.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the second set of machine code cannot be executed by the first irrigation control unit.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the first irrigation control unit is not used to generate the first set of machine code.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the first irrigation control unit is not used to compile the first set of machine code.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer readable medium does not store the second set of machine code for the purpose of execution by the processor of the first irrigation control unit.

27. A device for use in irrigation control comprising:

a computer readable medium storing application machine code configured to be executed by a processor of a first irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a first operating system;

the application machine code including a first set of machine code configured to be executed by the processor, wherein the first set of machine code is based on a portion of source code on which a second set of machine code stored in a second irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a second operating system is based, the second set of machine code configured for use in the second operating system and to accomplish an irrigation control function when executed, the first set of machine code and the second set of machine code are not identical to each other and perform the same function when executed, wherein the processor does not execute the second set of machine code, wherein the first set of machine code is not transferred from the first irrigation control unit to the second irrigation control unit

wherein the application machine code further comprises emulation machine code in addition to the first set of machine code, the emulation machine code configured to act as an interface between the operating system machine code and the first set of machine code;

wherein upon execution by the processor, the application machine code is configured to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system by executing the first set of machine code and the emulation machine code.

28. A method of operation for irrigation control comprising:

executing application machine code stored in a first irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a first operating system;

retrieving a first set of machine code stored in the first irrigation control unit, wherein the first set of machine code is based on a portion of source code on which a second set of machine code stored in a second irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a second operating system is based, the second set of machine code configured for use in the second operating system and to accomplish an irrigation control function when executed, the first set of machine code and the second set of machine code are not identical to each other and perform the same function when executed, wherein the application machine code further comprises emulation machine code in addition to the first set of machine code, the emulation machine code configured to act as an interface between the first operating system and the first set of machine code; and

executing the first set of machine code and the emulation machine code without executing the second set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system;

maintaining the first set of machine code at the first irrigation control unit such that the first set of machine code is not transferred from the first irrigation control unit to the second irrigation control unit.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the first set of machine code is separately developed after development of the second set of machine code.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the second operating system is different than the first operating system.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the executing the first set of machine code step comprises:

emulating at least a portion of the second operating system within the first operating system; and

executing the first set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the executing the first set of machine code step comprises:

executing the first set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system without emulating at least a portion of the second operating system within the first operating system.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the application machine code implements central irrigation control functionality including a dry run feature that can simulate irrigation control functionality at a plurality of remote irrigation controllers including the second irrigation control unit, the first set of machine code comprising machine code that corresponds to an irrigation engine machine code of the second irrigation control unit,

wherein the executing the first set of machine code step comprises:

executing the first set of machine code to simulate the irrigation control function in the first operating system to perform a dry run of the plurality of remote irrigation controllers including the second irrigation control unit.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein the second operating system is a specific purpose computer operating system and the first operating system is a general purpose computer operating system.

35. The method of claim 28 wherein the second operating system is at least related to the first operating system.

36. The method of claim 28 wherein the first irrigation control unit has a predefined hierarchical control relationship with the second irrigation control unit.

37. The method of claim 28 wherein the first irrigation control unit comprises a central controller and the second irrigation control unit comprises one of a satellite controller or a supervisor controller.

38. The method of claim 28 wherein the first irrigation control unit comprises a supervisor controller controlled by a central controller and the second irrigation control unit comprises a satellite controller controlled by the supervisor controller.

39. The method of claim 28 wherein the first set of machine code comprises machine code corresponding to an irrigation engine machine code of the second irrigation control unit.

40. The method of claim 28 wherein the second operating system is at least related to the first operating system.

41. The method of claim 28 wherein the executing the first set of machine code step comprises:

executing the first set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system in order to simulate the irrigation control function.

42. The method of claim 28 wherein the executing the first set of machine code step comprises:

executing the first set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system and to output signaling to implement the executed irrigation control function.

43. The method of claim 28 wherein the computer readable medium stores the application machine code including a plurality of versions of the first set of machine code, each version corresponding to one of a plurality of versions of the second set of machine code.

44. A method of operation for irrigation control comprising:

executing application machine code stored in a first irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a first operating system;

retrieving a first set of machine code stored in the first irrigation control unit, wherein the first set of machine code is based on a portion of source code on which a second set of machine code stored in a second irrigation control unit operating in accordance with a second operating system is based, the second set of machine code configured for use in the second operating system and to accomplish an irrigation control function when executed, the first set of machine code and the second set of machine code are not identical to each other and perform the same function when executed, wherein the application machine code further comprises emulation machine code in addition to the first set of machine code, the emulation machine code configured to act as an interface between the first operating system and the first set of machine code; and

executing the first set of machine code and the emulation machine code without executing the second set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system;

maintaining the first set of machine code at the first irrigation control unit such that the first set of machine code is not transferred from the first irrigation control unit to the second irrigation control unit;

wherein the retrieving step comprises;

retrieving one of a plurality of versions of the first set of machine code stored in the first irrigation control unit, each version based on a portion of source code on which each of a plurality of versions of the second set of machine code stored in the second irrigation control unit operating in accordance with the second operating system are based, each of the plurality of versions of the second set of machine code configured for use in the second operating system and to accomplish the irrigation control function when executed, the plurality of versions of the first set of machine code separately developed after development of the plurality of versions of the second set of machine code; and

wherein the executing the first set of machine code step comprises;

executing the retrieved one of the plurality of versions of the first set of machine code and the emulation machine code without executing a corresponding one of plurality of versions of the second set of machine code to execute the irrigation control function in the first operating system.

45. The method of claim 44 further comprising:

determining which version of the plurality of versions of the second set of machine code the second irrigation control unit operates in accordance with.