Wireless irrigation control

• US 10,772,267 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2019
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
• Inventors: Tennyson, Michael James, Archundia, Angel Reyes, Torre, Frank, Jenkins, Robert H., Mueller, Brian Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskridge, Cory W
• Application Number:
  US16/238,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20190150381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25187 Transmission of signals, medium, ultrasonic, radio
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Some embodiments provide methods and systems of controlling irrigation. Some of these systems comprise: a connector of a controller interface (CI) coupled with an irrigation controller, wherein the connector is configured to receive a valve activation signal activated by the irrigation controller; a user interface of the CI; a processor of the CI configured to obtain valve transceiver (VT) programming with VT programming being received from inputs through the user interface, determine a station identifier, and identify as defined in the VT programming a remote valve associated with the station identifier and controlled by a remote VT; and a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit a wireless activation signal configured to be wirelessly received by the VT controlling the valve associated by the VT programming with the station identifier such that the VT is configured to control an actuator to actuate the valve.

Claims

1. An irrigation system, comprising:

a connector of a controller interface (CI) configured to directly and removably couple with a control panel of an irrigation controller separate from the CI, wherein the connector is configured to receive a valve activation signal activated by the control panel in accordance with an irrigation schedule stored in and executed by the irrigation controller;

a user interface comprising at least one user input option and a visually detectable output;

a processor coupled with the connector, wherein the processor is configured to determine a respective remote valve transceiver (VT) of a plurality of remote valve transceivers (VTs) corresponding to the valve activation signal based on programming executed by the processor, and provided by a user via the user interface, each of the plurality of remote VTs configured to control an actuatable valve to control water flow therethrough;

a first wireless transceiver coupled with the processor and configured to wirelessly transmit, based on signaling from the processor, a wireless activation signal configured to be wirelessly received by the respective remote VT to cause the respective remote VT to actuate the valve; and

a second wireless transceiver coupled to the processor and configured to wirelessly communicate with a separate peripheral device.

2. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to communicate a query to the irrigation controller and receive a response to the query, and wherein the processor is configured to determine a station identifier from the response to the query.

3. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive, through the second wireless transceiver, at least some VT programming defining the remote valve associated with a station identifier of the irrigation controller.

4. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a plurality of station input terminals configured to couple with station output terminals of the irrigation controller, and wherein the processor is configured to associate in accordance with VT programming each of the plurality of input terminals with at least one of multiple valves to be activated upon detecting a respective valve activation signal on the respective input terminal.

5. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive sensor data from a remote sensor, determine whether a threshold associated with the sensor data is exceeded and interrupt irrigation from at least the respective valve activated by the respective remote VT when the threshold associated with the sensor data is exceeded.

6. The irrigation system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to interrupt all irrigation associated with the irrigation controller for at least a predefined period of time in response to determining that the threshold associated with the sensor data is exceeded.

7. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain remote VT programming independent of programming of the irrigation program at the irrigation controller, wherein the VT programming associates station identifiers of the irrigation controller with a respective one of the remote valves controlled by an associated one of the plurality of remote VTs.

12. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, through the second wireless transceiver, a query from the peripheral device directed to the irrigation controller for information useful in performing functionality of the peripheral device; and

cause a wireless transmission, through the second wireless transceiver, to the peripheral device of the information received from the irrigation controller.

13. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to

receive, through the second wireless transceiver, a query directed to the irrigation controller for information useful in performing functionality of the peripheral device to be utilized by the peripheral device in providing a user access to at least some of the information, wherein the information includes an irrigation schedule programmed in the irrigation controller and a number of stations supported by the irrigation controller;

and

cause the transmission of at least some additional irrigation programming, from the peripheral device, to the irrigation controller to change irrigation programming at the irrigation controller, wherein the additional irrigation programming includes an adjusted irrigation schedule.

14. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the CI further comprises the second wireless transceiver.

15. The irrigation system of claim 1, wherein the process is configured to receive, via the second wireless transceiver, from the peripheral device operated by a user at least some VT programming, and identify as defined in the VT programming the respective remote valve controlled by the respective remote VT to be activated in accordance with the valve activation signal.

8. A method of irrigating, comprising:

receiving, at a connector of a controller interface (CI) configured to directly and removably couple with a control panel of an irrigation controller separate from the CI, a valve activation signal activated by the control panel in accordance with an irrigation schedule stored in and executed by the irrigation controller;

determining, at a processor, a respective remote valve transceiver (VT) of a plurality of remote transceivers (VTs) corresponding to the valve activation signal based on programming executed by the processor, and provided by a user via the user interface, each of the plurality of remote VTs configured to control an actuatable valve to control water flow therethrough;

wirelessly transmitting, based on signaling from the processor and through a first wireless transceiver, a wireless activation signal to the respective remote VT to cause the respective remote VT to actuate the remote valve; and

wirelessly communicating, through a second wireless transceiver, with a separate peripheral device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

associating the respective remote VT with a station identifier and a valve designation corresponding to the valve controlled by the respective remote VT.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the obtaining the VT programming comprises:

receiving, from the separate peripheral device, the station identifier.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

querying, from the processor, the irrigation controller;

receiving a response to the query from the irrigation controller; and

determining, from the response, a station identifier.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, through the second wireless transceiver, a query from the peripheral device directed to the irrigation controller for information useful in performing functionality of the peripheral device; and

wirelessly communicating, through the second wireless transceiver, to the peripheral device the information received from the irrigation controller.

17. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, through the second wireless transceiver, a query directed to the irrigation controller for information useful in performing functionality of the peripheral device to be utilized by the peripheral device in providing a user access to at least some of the information, wherein the information includes an irrigation schedule programmed in the irrigation controller and a number of stations supported by the irrigation controller; and

causing the transmission of at least some additional irrigation programming, from the peripheral device, to the irrigation controller to change irrigation programming at the irrigation controller, wherein the additional irrigation programming includes an adjusted irrigation schedule.

18. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

wirelessly receiving, through the second wireless transceiver and from the peripheral device operated by a user, at least some of the VT programming; and

identifying as defined in the VT programming the respective remote valve controlled by the respective remote VT to be activated in accordance with the valve activation signal.

19. An irrigation system, comprising:

a transceiver unit comprising;

a connector configured to directly and removably coupled with a control panel of an irrigation controller via a physical coupling;

a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate, over a wireless network, with at least one peripheral device; and

the peripheral device comprising;

an integrated wireless transceiver; and

a user interface including at least one input option and a display; and

a processor coupled to the integrated wireless transceiver and the user interface, wherein the processor is configured to;

cause transmission of a query to the irrigation controller, via the transceiver unit, for information useful in performing the functionality of the peripheral device to be utilized by the peripheral device in providing a user access to at least some of the information, wherein the information includes an irrigation schedule programmed in the irrigation controller and a number of stations supported by the irrigation controller; and

cause the transmission of at least some additional irrigation programming from the peripheral device to the irrigation controller to change irrigation programming at the irrigation controller, wherein the additional irrigation programming includes an adjusted irrigation schedule.

20. The irrigation system of claim 19, wherein the transceiver unit comprises a transceiver unit processor configured to:

receive a valve activation signal activated by the control panel in accordance with an irrigation schedule stored in and executed by the control panel;

determine a respective remote valve transceiver (VT) of a plurality of remote valve transceivers (VTs) corresponding to the valve activation signal based on programming executed by the transceiver unit processor, wherein each of the plurality of remote VTs us configured to control an actuatable valve to control water flow therethrough;

cause a first wireless transceiver coupled with the transceiver unit processor to wirelessly transmit a wireless activation signal configured to be wirelessly received by the respective remote VT to cause the respective remote VT to actuate the respective valve.