Irrigation controller with selectable watering restrictions

• US 8,700,222 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Woytowitz, Peter J., Hunter, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ORTIZ RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS R
• Application Number:
  US12/042,301
• Time in Patent Office: 2,233 Days
• Field of Search: 700281-284, 700/19
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• 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: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence

Abstract

An irrigation controller includes a processor and a memory that either forms a part of the processor or is connected to the processor. A plurality of manually actuable controls allow a user to enter a watering program into the memory or select a watering program stored in the memory. Circuitry is controlled by the processor for turning corresponding valves ON and OFF in accordance with the watering program. Programming stored in the memory implements predetermined watering restrictions that disable portions of the watering otherwise effectuated by the watering program.

Claims

1. An irrigation controller, comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory operatively connected to the computer processor, said computer processor configured to execute programs stored in the memory, said memory further storing a watering restriction, said watering restriction comprising at least one day of a week permitting watering and at least one day of the week restricting watering, said watering restriction further comprising changes to the at least one day of the week permitting watering and the at least one day of the week restricting watering, the changes occurring at least once during a year, wherein said watering restriction is pre-programmed;

at least one manually actuable control operatively connected to the computer processor that allows a user to enter at least two watering schedules including run times, and to select from the at least two watering schedules at least one affected watering schedule that is affected by the watering restriction and at least one non-affected watering schedule that is not affected by the watering restriction;

circuitry operatively connected to the computer processor and configured to turn a plurality of valves ON and OFF; and

programming stored in the memory to accept input from the user via the at least one manually actuable control to implement the at least two watering schedules, wherein during said run times, the computer processor operates ones of the plurality of valves, the programming further accepting input from the user via the at least one manually actuable control to implement the affected watering schedule and the non-affected watering schedule, the programming automatically prohibiting operation of the ones of the plurality of valves during one or more run times of the affected watering schedule according to watering restriction and automatically permitting operation of the ones of the valves during one or more run times of the non-affected watering schedule regardless of the watering restriction.

2. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the programming allows the user to optionally select whether any of the watering restrictions are to apply.

3. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the watering restriction comprises different watering restrictions corresponding to different water districts.

4. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-affected watering schedule is associated with at least one of an electric fountain, lighting, drip irrigation, new lawns, and new plants.

5. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the watering restriction comprises a set of different watering restrictions corresponding to different groups within a water district.

6. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the watering restriction comprises a set of watering restrictions and the programming allows the user to select the watering restriction from the set of watering restrictions before entering the at least two watering schedules.

7. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the watering restriction comprises a set of watering restrictions and the programming allows the user to select the watering restriction from the set of watering restrictions after entering the at least two watering schedules.

8. The irrigation controller of claim 1 wherein the watering restrictions includes hours during which watering is, or is not, permitted.

9. A method of watering turf and/or landscaping in order to conserve water, comprising the steps of:

providing an irrigation controller having a processor and at least one manually actuable control;

entering or selecting at least two watering programs via the manually actuable control;

selecting at least one affected watering program from the at least two watering programs via the manually actuable control;

selecting at least one non-affected watering program from the at least two watering programs via the manually actuable control;

selecting a pre-programmed watering restriction from a set of pre-programmed watering restrictions via the manually actuable control, each pre-programmed watering restriction having a watering schedule that includes at least days of a week on which watering is, or is not, permitted and further wherein at least the permitted days of the week or the not permitted days of the week are pre-programmed to change at least once during a year, wherein said affected watering program is affected by the pre-programmed watering restriction, and wherein said non-affected watering program is not affected by the pre-programmed watering restriction;

watering turf and/or landscaping by selectively turning a power signal ON to a plurality of valves that deliver water to a plurality of sprinklers in accordance with the at least one non-affected watering program and the at least one affected watering program;

automatically permitting operation of ones of the plurality of valves during one or more run times of the non-affected watering program regardless of the pre-programmed watering restriction; and

automatically prohibiting operation of ones of the plurality of valves during one or more run times of the affected watering program according to the not permitted days of the week of the pre-programmed watering restriction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein selecting the pre-programmed watering restriction comprises selecting a group that has been assigned to an irrigation site by a water district in which the irrigation controller has been installed.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein each of the pre-programmed watering restrictions includes hours during which watering is, or is not, permitted.

12. An irrigation controller, comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory forming a part of the computer processor or operatively connected to the computer processor;

at least one manually actuable control that allows a user to enter at least two watering programs that effectuate watering and to select at least one affected watering program and at least one non-affected watering program from the at least two watering programs;

circuitry controlled by the computer processor that is configured to turns a plurality of valves ON and OFF;

programming stored in the memory that allows the user to select a predetermined set of watering restrictions from a plurality of different sets of watering restrictions, each predetermined set of watering restrictions being pre-programmed to change at least once throughout a year;

the programming implementing the at least one non-affected watering program by automatically permitting operation of ones of the plurality of valves during one or more run times of the at least one non-affected watering program regardless of the predetermined set of watering restrictions; and

the programming implementing the at least one affected watering program by automatically disabling operation of ones of the plurality of valves during one or more run times of the at least one affected watering programs according to the predetermined set of watering restrictions.

13. The irrigation controller of claim 12 wherein the programming allows the user to optionally select whether any of the selected set of watering restrictions are to apply.

14. The irrigation controller of claim 12 wherein the different sets of watering restrictions correspond to different water districts.

15. The irrigation controller of claim 12 wherein the watering restrictions are selected from the group consisting of days of a week on which watering is permitted, days of the week on which watering is not permitted, hours of the day during which watering is permitted, and hours of the day during which watering is not permitted.

16. The irrigation controller of claim 12 wherein the watering restrictions include watering intervals.

17. The irrigation controller of claim 12 wherein the different sets of watering restrictions correspond to different groups within a water district.

18. The irrigation controller of claim 12 wherein the programming allows the user to select the watering restrictions before entering the at least two watering programs.

19. The irrigation controller of claim 13 wherein the programming allows the user to select the watering restrictions after entering the at least two watering programs.