Sensor-based interruption of an irrigation controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10757873-B2
Application number	US-201715791160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2017
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a system and method for interfacing with an irrigation controller based on rainfall, the system comprising: an interface unit including a housing and a control unit within the housing and configured to: cause an interruption of one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller, which is separate from the interface unit, based on signaling received from a rain sensor including hygroscopic material, when a sensed expansion of the hygroscopic material is above a set rainfall accumulation threshold parameter, the rain sensor being separate from the interface unit and the hygroscopic material being configured to expand in response to being contacted by the rainfall and to contract in response to an absence of the rainfall; and remove the interruption after a completion of a predetermined interval of time after a sensed contraction of the hygroscopic material indicative of a rainfall stop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling irrigation based on rainfall, the system comprising:
an irrigation controller configured to execute one or more watering schedules;
a server remote to a location where the irrigation controller is installed, the server being in communication with the irrigation controller over a network and including a control unit configured to:
obtain weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed;
cause an interruption of one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller in response to receipt, by the server, of weather data indicative of active rainfall, in the location where the irrigation controller is installed, reaching an interrupt threshold that is associated with a preset rainfall accumulation amount; and
remove the interruption of the one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller after a completion of a predetermined interval of time and without determining whether the rainfall accumulation amount is above the interrupt threshold or below the interrupt threshold in response to receipt, by the server, of weather data indicative of a rainfall stop in the location where the irrigation controller is installed.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined interval of time of the interruption is one of pre-programmed into the control unit and preset by a user.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined interval of time of the interruption is at least 48 hours.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to, in response to the receipt by the server of the weather data indicative of the rainfall stop, initiate a timer configured to count down a remainder of time left on the predetermined interval of time of the interruption.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to obtain the weather data at intermittent intervals during a countdown, by the timer, of the remainder of time left on the predetermined interval of time of the interruption.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control unit is configured to, at one of the intermittent intervals, permit the timer to continue the countdown of the remainder of time left on the interval of time of the interruption in response to a determination, by the control unit, that the weather data received by the server at the one of the predetermined intervals indicates no rainfall.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control unit is configured to, at one of the intermittent intervals, reset the timer to restart a countdown of the remainder of time left on the predetermined interval of time of the interruption in response to a determination, by the control unit, that the weather data received by the server at the one of the intermittent intervals indicates active rainfall.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one weather data server remote to the server and configured to transmit the weather data to the server over the network.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a database configured to store the weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed, the database being configured to receive the weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed from one of the at least one weather data server and the server.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the irrigation controller further comprises a housing and a user interface integrated with the housing and comprising a plurality of user input devices coupled to the control unit and a user display coupled to the control unit.

11. A method for controlling irrigation based on rainfall, the method comprising:
providing an irrigation controller configured to execute one or more watering schedules;
providing a server remote to a location where the irrigation controller is installed, the server being in communication with the irrigation controller over a network and including a control unit;
obtaining, via the control unit, weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed;
causing, via the control unit, an interruption of one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller in response to receipt, by the server, of weather data indicative of active rainfall, in the location where the irrigation controller is installed, reaching an interrupt threshold that is associated with a preset rainfall accumulation amount; and
removing, via the control unit, the interruption of the one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller after a completion of a predetermined interval of time and without determining whether the rainfall accumulation amount is above the interrupt threshold or below the interrupt threshold in response to receipt, by the server, of weather data indicative of a rainfall stop in the location where the irrigation controller is installed.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined interval of time of the interruption is one of pre-programmed into the control unit and preset by a user.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined interval of time of the interruption is at least 48 hours.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, in response to the receipt by the server of the weather data indicative of the rainfall stop, initiating a timer configured to count down a remainder of time left on the predetermined interval of time of the interruption.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing:
at least one weather data server remote to the server and configured to transmit the weather data to the server over the network; and
providing a database configured to store the weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed, the database being configured to receive the weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed from one of the at least one weather data server and the server.

16. A system for controlling irrigation based on rainfall, the system comprising:
an irrigation controller configured to execute one or more watering schedules;
a server remote to a location where the irrigation controller is installed, the server being in communication with the irrigation controller over a network;
wherein the irrigation controller is configured to obtain, from the server and over the network, weather data associated with the location where the irrigation controller is installed; and
wherein the irrigation controller includes a control unit configured to:
cause an interruption of one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller in response to receipt, by the irrigation controller from the server, of weather data indicative of active rainfall, in the location where the irrigation controller is installed, reaching an interrupt threshold that is associated with a preset rainfall accumulation amount; and
remove the interruption of the one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller after a completion of a predetermined interval of time and without determining whether the rainfall accumulation amount is above the interrupt threshold or below the interrupt threshold in response to receipt, by the irrigation controller from server, of weather data indicative of a rainfall stop in the location where the irrigation controller is installed.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined interval of time of the interruption is one of pre-programmed into the control unit and preset by a user.

Assignees

• Rain Bird Corp

Inventors

• Weiler Steven W
• Nickerson Harvey J

Classifications

• A01G25/165 Primary

  Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations · CPC title

• A01G25/16

  Control of watering · CPC title

• G05D7/0629

  characterised by the type of regulator means · CPC title

• G05B2219/2625

  Sprinkler, irrigation, watering · CPC title

• G05B19/048

  Monitoring; Safety · CPC title