Wireless electronic sprinkler head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10668490-B2
Application number	US-201615239151-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2016
Priority date	Aug 17, 2016
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A fluid dispersal node is disclosed that includes one or more fluid outlets, an electromechanical valve, one or more hardware processors, hardware memory, a hardware wireless communication module, an antenna, and a fluid-tight, substantially radio frequency (RF) transparent enclosure. The valve is disposed in the node, and controls fluid flow to the outlets. The processors, in turn, control the valve. The wireless module receives instructions for operating the valve and forwards those instructions to one or more of the processors and the memory. The processors, memory, wireless module and antenna are disposed within the RF-transparent housing. In some embodiments, the antenna is disposed on a riser associated with the node outside the enclosure. In other embodiments, the antenna is disposed in a fluid line connected to the node.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid dispersal node comprising:
a fluid outlet;
an electromechanical valve disposed in the node, wherein the valve controls fluid flow to the fluid outlet, and wherein the electromechanical valve comprises:
a hollow cylindrical pipe comprising:
a first and a second chamber, and
a partial wall separating the first and second chambers,
a u-shaped disk around the partial wall, wherein the u-shaped disk comprises:
a first side wall positioned in the first chamber,
a second side wall positioned in the second chamber,
a bottom wall between, and coupling, the first and second side walls, wherein the bottom wall is in fluid-tight contact with at least a portion of an interior wall of the pipe, and
a protrusion extending from the first side wall having a width less than an internal diameter of the pipe, wherein, as the valve is closed, the first side wall is in fluid-tight contact with the partial wall and the second side wall is in fluid-tight contact with the interior wall, and wherein, as the valve is opened, the protrusion is in contact with the interior wall;
a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the electromechanical valve;
a hardware wireless communication module, wherein the wireless module receives instructions for operating the electromechanical valve and forwards those instructions to the processor and/or the memory;
an antenna electrically coupled to the wireless module; and a fluid-tight, radio frequency (RF) transparent enclosure, wherein the processor, memory, wireless module and antenna are disposed within the RF-transparent enclosure.

2. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , wherein the fluid-tight, RF transparent enclosure has a dissipation factor ranging from 0.001 to 0.0001.

3. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure comprises at least one of uncured butyl rubber, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, beryllium oxide, cross-linked polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, Teflon, fused quartz, fused silica, and boron nitride.

4. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , wherein the fluid dispersal node is a sprinkler head, and wherein the fluid outlet comprises a nozzle.

5. The fluid dispersal node of claim 4 , wherein the nozzle comprises:
a plurality of nozzle shapes; and
an electric motor coupled to the nozzle that directs the fluid flow through the plurality of nozzle shapes, wherein the electric motor is controlled by the processor and/or the memory.

6. The fluid dispersal node of claim 4 , further comprising a turbine positioned in front of the nozzle that spreads the fluid flow flowing from the nozzle and rotates, charging a battery that powers one or more of the electromechanical valve, the processor, the memory, and the wireless module.

7. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , wherein the fluid dispersal node is an impact rotor sprinkler, and wherein an impact arm of the sprinkler drives an electromagnet and charges a battery that powers one or more of the processor, the memory, the wireless module, and the electromagnetic valve.

8. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , wherein the electromechanical valve comprises one or more electromagnets and one or more magnets, wherein the magnets comprise permanent magnets, ferromagnets, or a combination thereof.

9. The fluid dispersal node of claim 8 , wherein a first magnet is disposed in the protrusion and a second magnet is disposed in the second side wall.

10. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , further comprising a microphone coupled to the processor and/or the memory, wherein the memory stores instructions for operating the node based on voice commands received by the microphone.

11. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , wherein the fluid-tight, RF transparent enclosure is removably disposed in the fluid dispersal node.

12. The fluid dispersal node of claim 1 , further comprising a USB port with a fluid-tight covering, wherein the USB port is coupled to the processor and/or the memory.

Assignees

• Hall David R
• Hall Mark
• Boswell Craig
• Evans Sky
• Fox Joe
• Knight Jedediah
• Hall Labs Llc

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Hall Mark
• Boswell Craig
• Evans Sky
• Fox Joe
• Knight Jedediah

Classifications

• B05B3/022

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H02J7/32

  for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover {rotating at constant speed} · CPC title

• B05B3/0481

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H04B7/24

  for communication between two or more posts (wireless communication networks H04W) · CPC title

• H02J7/35

  with light sensitive cells · CPC title