Irrigation flow sensor systems and methods of detecting irrigation flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11874149-B2
Application number	US-202117242253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2021
Priority date	Apr 27, 2020
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an irrigation flow sensor system, comprising: a housing forming a fluid channel to cooperate with conduits of an irrigation system; a paddle wheel device with at least a first blade of a set of the blades comprises a magnetic element; the paddle wheel device is positioned with at least a portion of the blades extends into the fluid channel as the blades rotate about an axis; a magnetic sensor proximate a pathway of the magnetic element as it rotates configured to provide a sensor output every time the magnetic element passes the magnetic sensor; a switch coupled to the magnetic sensor and a current loop, wherein the switch in an activate state is configured to temporarily change the current in the current loop in response to the sensor output, with a rate of change in current corresponding to a flow rate of the fluid flowing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An irrigation flow sensor system, comprising:
a housing secured with a fluid channel, wherein the fluid channel comprises a first port and a second port and is configured to transport fluid between the first port and the second port, wherein the first port is configured to couple with a first conduit of a fluid path, and the second port is configured to couple with a second conduit of the fluid path of an irrigation system to transport water to irrigation distribution devices configured to distribute water over a geographic area;
a paddle wheel device comprising a set of blades configured to rotate about an axis due to a fluid flowing through the fluid channel, wherein at least a first blade of the set of the blades comprises a first magnetic element, and wherein the paddle wheel device is positioned relative to the fluid channel such that at least a portion of each of the blades of the set of blades sequentially extends into the fluid channel as the blades rotate about the axis;
a magnetic sensor within a sealed portion of the housing outside of the fluid channel and proximate to a pathway of the first magnetic element as the first magnetic element rotates about the axis, wherein the magnetic sensor is configured to provide a sensor output at a first state every time the first magnetic element passes the magnetic sensor;
a switch coupled to the magnetic sensor, wherein the switch is coupled to a current loop, wherein the switch in an active state is configured to temporarily change a current to a first current flow value in the current loop in response to the sensor output from the magnetic sensor being in the first state such that the current loop varies between a second current flow value when the switch is not active in a non-active state and the first current flow value when the switch is in the active state based on the first state of the sensor output from the magnetic sensor, wherein a frequency of the transitions between the second current flow value and the first current flow value correspond to a flow rate of the fluid.

2. The flow sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a timeout circuit electrically coupled with the switch and configured to force the switch from the active state to the non-active state overriding the first state of the sensor output and cause a change from the first current flow value to the second current flow value within the current loop when the first magnetic element is within a threshold distance of the magnetic sensor for more than a threshold period of time.

3. The flow sensor system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a communications interface coupled with the current loop and configured to enable an external irrigation controller to communicatively couple with the flow sensor system and receive flow rate data corresponding to the frequency of the transitions between the second current flow value and the first current flow value within the current loop that corresponds to the flow rate of the fluid.

4. The flow sensor system of claim 3 , wherein the current loop comprises a voltage protection circuit configured to protect the switch from an input voltage received at the communications interface that is greater than a first voltage threshold; and a current protection circuit configured to protect the switch from an input current received at the communications interface that is greater than a first current threshold.

5. The flow sensor system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a voltage supply circuit electrically coupled with the magnetic sensor and the communications interface and configured to generate a substantially constant voltage that is supplied to the magnetic sensor to power the magnetic sensor.

6. The flow sensor system of claim 2 , wherein:
the switch comprises a first transistor coupled with an output of the magnetic sensor, wherein the first transistor is activated to cause the transition to the active state and to cause the transition to the first current flow value within the current loop in response to a change to the first state of the sensor output from the magnetic sensor triggered in response to each detection by the magnetic sensor that the first magnetic element being detected by the magnetic sensor; and
the timeout circuit comprises a second transistor coupled with a gate of the first transistor and configured to override the activation of the first transistor by the magnetic sensor when the sensor output from the magnetic sensor is active at the first state, corresponding to the first magnetic element being within the threshold distance of the magnetic sensor, for more than the threshold period of time.

7. The flow sensor system of claim 6 , wherein the timeout circuit comprises a resistance-capacitance (RC) circuit comprising at least a timeout resistor coupled with a timeout capacitor, wherein the RC circuit couples with the second transistor and an RC time constant of the RC circuit defines the threshold period of time.

8. The flow sensor system of claim 1 , wherein:
the switch comprises a first transistor coupled with an output of the magnetic sensor, wherein the first transistor is activated to cause the transition to the active state and to cause the transition to the first current flow value within the current loop in response to each change to the first state of the sensor output from the magnetic sensor triggered in response to each detection by the magnetic sensor that the first magnetic element passes the magnetic sensor.

9. The flow sensor system of claim 1 , wherein at least the sealed portion of the housing is removable from the fluid channel, wherein when the sealed portion of the housing is removed from the fluid channel the paddle wheel device is exposed and enabling removal of the paddle wheel device.

10. The flow sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic sensor comprises a Hall effect sensor; and
the paddle wheel device comprising second magnetic element secured with a second blade of the set of the blades of the paddle wheel device;
wherein the Hall effect sensor changes the sensor output to a second state in response to the second magnetic element passing the Hall effect sensor following the activation of the sensor output to the first state in response to the first magnetic element being detected by the Hall effect sensor.

11. The flow sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a conduit portion secured with the housing, wherein the fluid flows through the conduit portion;
an upstream conduit coupling and a downstream conduit coupling, each configured to couple with respective irrigation conduits;
an upstream union locking ring configured to secure the upstream conduit coupling with the conduit portion;
a downstream union locking ring configured secure the downstream conduit coupling with the conduit portion;
a filter positioned at least partially within the conduit portion; and
an O-ring secured within an O-ring cavity formed in the conduit portion and between the conduit portion and the conduit coupling, wherein the filter is secured between the conduit portion and the upstream conduit coupling with a filter head of the filter being positioned with a portion of a lateral surface of the filter head biasing the O-ring into the O-ring cavity establishing a fluid tight seal.

12. The flow sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the paddle wheel device comprises a central bore and a separate axle that extends through the central bore and with a first portion of the axle and a second portion of the axle exposed on opposite sides of the paddle wheel device.

13. The flow sensor system of claim 12 , wherein the axle is formed from a ceram

Assignees

• Rain Bird Corp

Inventors

• Geerligs Steven D
• Churchill Russell
• Montgomery Randy R
• Kwak Chong Wang
• Porrazzo Jr Joseph G
• Landis Michael A
• Archundia Angel Reyes

Classifications

• G01F1/1155 Primary

  with magnetic coupling only in a mechanical transmission path · CPC title

• A01G25/16

  Control of watering · CPC title

• G01F15/066

  involving magnetic transmission devices · CPC title

• G01F1/075 Primary

  with magnetic or electromagnetic coupling to the indicating device · CPC title

• G01F15/063

  using electrical means · CPC title