Systems and methods to adjust irrigation

• US 9,301,461 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Woytowitz, Peter J., Shearin, Christopher M., Kremicki, Jeffrey J., Porter, LaMonte D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laughlin, Nathan L
• Application Number:
  US14/188,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 700282-284, 137 781- 783, 239/64, 239/67, 239/69
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering

Abstract

An irrigation system includes an irrigation controller with an adjust feature and at least one sensor. The irrigation system further includes a sensor control unit operatively connected to the irrigation controller and the at least one sensor. The sensor control unit is configured to calculate an irrigation value using a signal from the sensor and to automatically modify a watering schedule of the irrigation controller through the adjust feature based on the irrigation value to thereby conserve water while maintaining plant health.

Claims

1. A stand alone irrigation system comprising:

a stand alone irrigation controller comprising a plurality of user inputs that enable a user to enter a watering schedule including a run time, a computer processor operatively connected to the plurality of user inputs, and a memory connected to the computer processor;

a stand alone control unit comprising a memory storing programming and components of historical evapotranspiration (ET) data associated with a landscape area; and

a plurality of sensors in communication with the stand alone control unit, each sensor configured to generate an environmental signal representative of an irrigation condition of the landscape area, the plurality of sensors comprising at least a first sensor configured to generate a first signal representative of solar radiation and a second sensor configured to generate a second signal representative of temperature;

wherein the programming is configured to calculate a first value using the environmental signals communicated from the plurality of sensors, one or more of the components of historical ET data, and a reference comprising a maximum expected user-adjustable ET value, and communicate the first value to the computer processor of the stand alone irrigation controller to automatically scale the run time of the watering schedule based on the first value, the stand alone irrigation controller configured to provide operational signals to at least one irrigation control valve to cause the at least one irrigation control valve to supply water to irrigate the landscape area according to the scaled run time of the watering schedule.

2. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the environmental signals communicated from the plurality of sensors are the first signal representative of solar radiation and the second signal representative of temperature.

3. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone control unit further comprises at least one user input that enables the user to change the reference.

4. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the environmental signals from the plurality of sensors further comprise an indication of at least one of humidity, soil moisture, wind, and rain.

5. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the components of historical ET data comprise temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed for the landscape area.

6. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone control unit further comprises a protective housing.

7. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone control unit further comprises a housing that is mountable to a housing of the stand alone irrigation controller.

8. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 1 further comprising a soil moisture sensor configured to measure a level of soil moisture, the computer processor of the stand alone irrigation controller configured to automatically inhibit irrigation when the level of soil moisture is greater than a threshold.

9. A stand alone irrigation system comprising:

a stand alone irrigation controller comprising a plurality of user inputs that enables a user to enter a watering schedule including a run time;

a computer processor operatively connected to the plurality of user inputs, wherein the computer processor is configured to modify the watering schedule;

a memory connected to the computer processor to store the watering schedule and constants selected to simulate local conditions of a landscape area;

a first sensor local to the landscape area and configured to generate a signal representative of solar radiation;

a second sensor local to the landscape area and configured to generate a signal representative of temperature, the computer processor configured to calculate a percentage change using the signal representative of solar radiation from the first sensor, the signal representative of temperature from the second sensor, one or more of the constants selected to simulate the local conditions of the landscape area, and a reference comprising a maximum expected user-adjustable evapotranspiration (ET) value; and

programming stored in the memory to automatically modify the watering schedule by the percentage change, the stand alone irrigation controller configured to provide operational signals to at least one irrigation control valve to cause the at least one irrigation control valve to supply water to irrigate the landscape area according to the modified watering schedule.

10. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 9 wherein the constants selected to simulate the local conditions of the landscape area comprise temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed for the landscape area.

11. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 9 further comprising a third sensor local to the landscape area and configured to generate an environmental signal representative of an irrigation condition of the landscape area, the environmental signal selected from the group consisting of humidity, wind speed and soil moisture.

12. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 9 further comprising a soil moisture sensor configured to measure a level of soil moisture, the computer processor further configured to automatically inhibit irrigation when the level of soil moisture is greater than a threshold.

13. The stand alone irrigation system of claim 9 further comprising at least one user input that enables the user to change the reference.

14. A method to irrigate an irrigation site, the method comprising:

providing a stand alone irrigation controller;

accepting inputs at the stand alone irrigation controller from a user that enable the user to enter a watering schedule including a run time;

receiving a first signal representative of solar radiation at an irrigation site from a first sensor local to the irrigation site;

receiving a second signal representative of temperature at the irrigation site from a second sensor local to the irrigation site;

storing in a memory constants selected to simulate local conditions of the irrigation site;

calculating a percentage change to the watering schedule using the first signal, the second signal, and a user-adjustable reference that is based on one or more of the constants selected to simulate the local conditions of the irrigation site and a maximum expected user-adjustable evapotranspiration (ET) value;

automatically adjusting the watering schedule by the percentage change; and

providing operational signals to at least one irrigation control valve to cause the at least one irrigation control valve to supply water to the irrigation site according to the adjusted watering schedule.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising inhibiting irrigation when a level of soil moisture is greater than a threshold.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising automatically shutting down irrigation based at least in part on detecting a rain event.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising automatically shutting down irrigation based at least in part on detecting a freeze event.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a stand alone control unit that is in communication with the first and second sensors and comprises the memory storing the constants selected to simulate the local conditions of the irrigation site, the memory further storing programming that is configured to calculate the percentage change, the stand alone control unit operably connected to the stand alone controller to communicate the percentage change to the stand alone controller.