Weather override irrigation control systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11006589-B2
Application number	US-201816235853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

In some embodiments, provide an irrigation sensor system, comprising: a rain funnel comprising an upper opening and at least one wall tapering from the upper opening to a lower aperture; and a tipping bucket positioned to receive water falling from the lower aperture while the tipping bucket is positioned such that a central longitudinal axis of the tipping bucket is not aligned with an axis extending through the lower aperture of the funnel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An external irrigation interruption system, comprising:
a rain funnel comprising an upper opening and at least one wall tapering from the upper opening to a lower aperture;
a tipping rain bucket sensor comprising:
a tipping bucket positioned aligned with the lower aperture of the funnel and comprising a first rain bucket, a second rain bucket positioned adjacent the first rain bucket and an extended wall extending away from and between the first and second rain buckets to alternately align a first face extending from the first rain bucket and a second face extending from the second rain bucket with the lower aperture;
a bucket holder, wherein the tipping bucket is pivotably secured with the bucket holder enabling the tipping bucket to transition between a first position with the first face of the extended wall aligned with the aperture to direct water into the first rain bucket and a second position with the second face of the extended wall aligned with the aperture to direct water into the second rain bucket; and
a trigger secured relative to the extended wall to transition between a first station when the tipping bucket is in the first position, and a second station when the tipping bucket is in the second position;

a temperature sensor positioned below the rain sensor and vertically aligned with at least a portion of the tipping bucket;
a protection diaphragm positioned between the tipping rain bucket sensor and the temperature sensor, and comprising a water disbursement plate and a plurality of drain apertures, wherein the water disbursement plate extends over the temperature sensor and to the plurality of drain apertures causing rain water released by the first rain bucket and the second rain bucket to drain through the drain apertures away from the temperature sensor;
a trigger detector positioned relative to the trigger and configured to activate in response to the trigger passing within a threshold distance of the trigger detector and output a tip signal;
a communication transceiver; and
a sensor control circuit communicatively coupled with the trigger detector and the transceiver, wherein the sensor control circuit is configured to receive the tip signals and cause the transceiver to transmit rain signals corresponding to a predefined amount of accumulated rain in response to the tipping of the tipping bucket.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tipping bucket is positioned such that a central longitudinal axis of the tipping bucket, which is perpendicular to an axis about which the tipping bucket tips, is not aligned with the lower aperture of the funnel.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the funnel comprises a drip extension extending from the lower aperture, wherein an end of the drip extension is positioned at least level with upper edges of opposing side walls of the tipping bucket extending from the extended wall.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the funnel comprises a drip extension extending from the lower aperture, wherein the end of the drip extension is positioned to be within a threshold vertical separation distance from upper edges of opposing side walls of the tipping bucket, wherein the threshold vertical separation distance is proportional to a lateral distance (X) between the end of the drip extension and the upper edge of the opposing side walls and a threshold tilt angle from vertical.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a set of multiple louvre plates positioned below the diaphragm and about the temperature sensor, wherein each louvre plate comprises curved perimeter sides tapering away from the diaphragm and outward from the central axis, and each louvre plate is spaced from the other of the louvre plates establishing air gaps between the louvre plates and exposing the temperature sensor to ambient air while limiting rain water from contacting the temperature sensor.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a central housing positioned about the tipping bucket; and
a funnel housing pivotably coupled with the central housing, and comprising the funnel, wherein the funnel housing rotatably pivots relative to the central housing to pivot the funnel away from the tipping bucket and provide access to an interior of the sensor system including at least tipping bucket.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bucket holder is secured with the diaphragm such that the tipping bucket is separated from the diaphragm by a distance.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the diaphragm comprises tab mountings; and
the bucket holder comprises at least a pair of flexible tabs each comprising a lateral ridge configured to engage the tab mountings and secure the bucket holder with the diaphragm.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the diaphragm comprises mounting at least a pair of protrusions extending from the diaphragm and each protrusion comprising a recess forming the tab mountings and configured to receive at least a portion of a corresponding and aligned one of the lateral ridges of a corresponding one of the flexible tabs.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a central housing positioned about the tipping bucket, and comprising a first partial control board cavity separated by a first control board cavity wall from the tipping bucket; and
a base housing comprising a second partial control board cavity, wherein the base housing is configured to cooperated with the central housing cooperating the first partial control board cavity and the second partial control board cavity forming a control board cavity; and
a control board comprising the sensor control circuit, the trigger detector and power source couplers electrically coupled with at least the sensor control circuit and the trigger detector, wherein the control board is mounted within the control board cavity.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a removable power source holder comprising a holder base and a power source retaining slot extending from the holder base and configured to retain at least one removable power source, and wherein the holder base is configured to close the control board cavity while aligning the at least one removable power source with the power source couplers.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tipping rain bucket sensor further comprises a first wireless transceiver coupled with the sensor control circuit wherein the sensor control circuit is configured to cause the first wireless transceiver to wirelessly transmit the rain signals and the temperature sensor data, and the controller interface system comprises a second wireless transceiver communicatively coupled with the interface control circuit and configured to wirelessly receive the rain signals and the temperature sensor data.

Assignees

• Rain Bird Corp

Inventors

• Marsano Jorge A
• Porrazzo Joseph G
• Price John E
• Reddy Hari

Classifications

• Y10T137/1866

  For controlling soil irrigation · CPC title

• A01G25/165 Primary

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

• G01W1/14

  Rainfall or precipitation gauges (measuring volume in general G01F) · CPC title

• G01W1/02

  Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed (G01W1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title