Methods and systems for use in controlling irrigation

• US 9,445,556 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Inventors: Marsters, Jonathan I., Callison, Douglas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US14/621,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20150150201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0617 specially adapted for fluid materials
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence

Abstract

Some embodiments provide systems and methods of controlling irrigation, comprising: communicating an assumption broadcast from a first irrigation controller to each of a plurality of other irrigation controllers defining assumed states of control elements, wherein the control elements are shared with one or more of the first irrigation controller and the other irrigation controllers; determining whether a reply is received from one or more of the other irrigation controllers in reply to the assumption broadcast; identifying, from the reply, a correction to a state corresponding to a first control element; updating state information corresponding to the first control element in response to the identifying the correction; and communicating a subsequent notification from the first irrigation controller to each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the irrigation system, where the subsequent notification comprises the updated state information corresponding to the first control element.

Claims

1. A method of controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

identifying at a first irrigation controller, from a communication received from a first other irrigation controller of a plurality of other irrigation controllers of an irrigation system, a correction to a state corresponding to a first control element of one or more control elements each coupled to a respective one of the first irrigation controller or a respective one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, wherein the first control element is associated with the first other irrigation controller;

updating state information corresponding to the first control element in response to the identifying the correction;

communicating an assumption broadcast from the first irrigation controller to each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the irrigation system, wherein the assumption broadcast comprises the updated state information corresponding to the first control element;

wherein the irrigation system comprises a central control irrigation system comprising a sub-system of the central control irrigation system, where the sub-system comprises the first irrigation controller and each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, and where the central control irrigation system includes a computer based central controller configured to communicate the irrigation scheduling instructions to the first irrigation controller; and

receiving sharing configuration data from the central controller, where the sharing configuration data identifies which one or more of the first irrigation controller and the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the sub-system share which of the one or more control elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers couples with one or more irrigation valves and is configured to activate one or more irrigation valves in implementing additional irrigation scheduling instructions received from the central controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of other irrigation controllers within the sub-system do not directly communicate with one another.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the single assumption broadcast informs each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of an operating state of the one or more control elements.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying indicators of sensed operating states of one or more sensors within the sub-system, with each of the one or more sensors being coupled to a respective one of the first irrigation controller or a respective one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, wherein the sensed operating states of the one or more sensors are shared with one or more of the first irrigation controller and the other irrigation controllers of the sub-system that are not coupled to the one or more sensors;

communicating a single sensor assumption broadcast from the first irrigation controller to each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers within the sub-system, where the sensor assumption broadcast comprises one or more indicators of the one or more sensors states of the one or more sensors within the sub-system and the single sensor assumption broadcast informs each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the sensed state of the sensor shared with at least a corresponding one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers.

6. A method of controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

identifying at a first irrigation controller, from a communication received from a first other irrigation controller of a plurality of other irrigation controllers of an irrigation system, a correction to a state corresponding to a first control element of one or more control elements each coupled to a respective one of the first irrigation controller or a respective one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, wherein the first control element is associated with the first other irrigation controller;

updating state information corresponding to the first control element in response to the identifying the correction; and

communicating an assumption broadcast from the first irrigation controller to each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the irrigation system, wherein the assumption broadcast comprises the updated state information corresponding to the first control element;

wherein the irrigation system comprises a central control irrigation system comprising a sub-system of the central control irrigation system, where the sub-system comprises the first irrigation controller and each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, and where the central control irrigation system includes a computer based central controller configured to communicate the irrigation scheduling instructions to the first irrigation controller; and

wherein the one or more control elements comprises a master valve, where the assumption broadcast comprises a state of the master valve defining whether the master valve is in an open state or a closed state.

7. A method of controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

identifying at a first irrigation controller, from a communication received from a first other irrigation controller of a plurality of other irrigation controllers of an irrigation system, a correction to a state corresponding to a first control element of one or more control elements each coupled to a respective one of the first irrigation controller or a respective one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, wherein the first control element is associated with the first other irrigation controller;

updating state information corresponding to the first control element in response to the identifying the correction;

communicating an assumption broadcast from the first irrigation controller to each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the irrigation system, wherein the assumption broadcast comprises the updated state information corresponding to the first control element; and

receiving at the first irrigation controller a reply from the first other irrigation controller only when the state corresponding to the first control element shared with the first other irrigation controller is inconsistent with a state expected by the first other irrigation controller.

8. A method of controlling irrigation, the method comprising:

identifying at a first irrigation controller, from a communication received from a first other irrigation controller of a plurality of other irrigation controllers of an irrigation system, a correction to a state corresponding to a first control element of one or more control elements each coupled to a respective one of the first irrigation controller or a respective one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers, wherein the first control element is associated with the first other irrigation controller;

updating state information corresponding to the first control element in response to the identifying the correction;

communicating an assumption broadcast from the first irrigation controller to each of the plurality of other irrigation controllers of the irrigation system, wherein the assumption broadcast comprises the updated state information corresponding to the first control element; and

receiving at the first irrigation controller a reply to the assumption broadcast only when one or more assumed operating states of the one or more control elements is inconsistent with an irrigation scheduling instruction being implemented by a corresponding one of the plurality of other irrigation controllers.

9. The method of claim 8, where the assumption broadcast comprises a plurality of predefined locations within the assumption broadcast, where a different one of the plurality of predefined locations corresponds to a different one of the other irrigation controllers such that each predefined location defines a state of the one or more control elements corresponding to the other irrigation controllers associated with the predefined location within the assumption broadcast.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more control elements comprises a sensor, where the assumption broadcast comprises information corresponding to a state of the sensor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the state of the sensor identifies whether one or more of the plurality of other irrigation controllers sharing the sensor are to interrupt an irrigation scheduling instruction.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying step and the updating step are performed by the first irrigation controller.

13. An irrigation system comprising:

a computer-based central irrigation controller configured to communicationally couple with multiple satellite irrigation controllers; and

a sub-system comprising;

a server satellite irrigation controller of the multiple satellite irrigation controllers, in communication with the central irrigation controller;

one or more client satellite irrigation controllers, of the multiple satellite irrigation controllers, wherein the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers are in communication with the server satellite irrigation controller and wherein each of the one or more of client satellite irrigation controllers controls one or more irrigation devices in implementing respective irrigation scheduling instructions received from the computer-based central irrigation controller and stored at each of the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers; and

one or more control elements, wherein each of the one or more control elements are coupled to a respective one of the server satellite irrigation controller or the one or more of the client satellite irrigation controllers, and wherein the one or more control elements are shared with one or more of the server satellite irrigation controller and the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers of the sub-system that are not coupled with the control element;

wherein the server satellite irrigation controller is configured to;

identify, from a communication received from a first client satellite irrigation controller of the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers, a correction to a state corresponding to a first control element of the one or more control elements, wherein the first control element is associated with at least the first client satellite irrigation controller;

update state information corresponding to the first control element in response to the identifying the correction; and

communicate an assumption broadcast to each of the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers, wherein the assumption broadcast comprises the updated state information corresponding to the first control element.

14. The irrigation system of claim 13, wherein the one or more control elements comprise a first master valve, wherein the first master valve is controlled by the corresponding first client satellite irrigation controller, such that the corresponding first client satellite irrigation controller is configured to alter a state of the master valve in response to the assumption broadcast when a state corresponding to the master valve defined in the assumption broadcast is different than an actual state of the master valve as controlled by the first client satellite irrigation controller.

15. The irrigation system of claim 14, wherein a second client satellite irrigation controller shares the first master valve controlled by the first client satellite irrigation controller such that water is made available to the one or more irrigation devices controlled by the second client satellite irrigation controller when the first master valve is open, and wherein the second client satellite irrigation controller is configured to communicate a reply to the assumption broadcast when the state of the master valve as defined in the assumption broadcast identifies the master valve as closed and an irrigation scheduling instruction being implemented at the second client satellite irrigation controller specifies that irrigation is to be active.

16. The irrigation system of claim 15, wherein the second client satellite irrigation controller is further configured to communicate the reply to the assumption broadcast only when the assumed state of the first master valve is inconsistent with a state expected by the second client satellite irrigation controller.

17. The irrigation system of claim 14, wherein the one or more control elements comprise a first sensor, where the first sensor is communicationally coupled only with a corresponding one of the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers, such that the corresponding one of the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers is configured to identify a state of the first sensor, and to communicate a reply to the assumption broadcast only when a state of the first sensor defined in the assumption broadcast is different than an actual state of the first sensor as communicated to the corresponding one of the one or more client satellite irrigation controllers from the first sensor.