Voltage compensation in an irrigation control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9693510-B2
Application number	US-201314133598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

Some embodiments provide irrigation valve control apparatuses comprising: multiple terminals coupled with a multi-wire path; a first charge storage circuitry electrically coupled with at least one of the multiple terminals, wherein the first charge storage circuitry is configured to be charged by a voltage on the multi-wire path; a control circuitry configured to determine the voltage on the multi-wire path; and a boost circuitry controlled by the control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry in response to determining that the voltage on the multi-wire path is below a threshold activates the boost circuitry to increase a voltage stored by the first charge storage circuitry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An irrigation valve control apparatus comprising:
multiple terminals coupled with a multi-wire path;
a first charge storage circuitry electrically coupled with at least one of the multiple terminals, wherein the first charge storage circuitry is configured to be charged by a voltage on the multi-wire path;
a control circuitry configured to determine the voltage on the multi-wire path; and
a boost circuitry controlled by the control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry in response to determining that the voltage on the multi-wire path is below a threshold activates the boost circuitry to increase a voltage stored by the first charge storage circuitry, wherein the boost circuitry comprises:
a power inductor coupled with the first charge storage circuitry; and
switching circuitry cooperated with the power inductor;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to sequentially trigger the switching circuitry to induce a change in current over time through the power inductor producing a boost voltage applied to the first charge storage circuitry.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a solenoid;
a plunger positioned relative to the solenoid such that the plunger changes positions between open and closed positions in response to a magnetic field generated by the solenoid;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to discharge the first charge storage circuitry into the solenoid to induce movement of the plunger causing the plunger to change positions resulting in opening or closing a valve such that water is allowed to pass through the valve when the plunger is in the open position and water is prevented from passing the valve when the plunger is in the closed position.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the control circuitry, in determining the voltage on the multi-wire path, is configured to monitor voltage across the first charge storage circuitry as a function of the voltage on the multi-wire path, and to activate the boost circuitry to increase the voltage stored by the first charge storage circuitry when the voltage across the first charge storage circuitry is less than a voltage threshold corresponding to a voltage to cause the plunger to change to the closed position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the boost circuitry further comprises a second charge storage circuitry electrically coupled with at least one of the multiple terminals, wherein the second charge storage circuitry is configured to be charged by the voltage one the multi-wire path; and
wherein the boost circuitry is configured to charge both the first charge storage circuitry and the second charge storage circuitry increasing the voltage stored.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal that is applied to the switching circuitry to implement the sequential triggering of the switching circuitry in response to the PWM signal to induce the change in current over time through the power inductor corresponding to a frequency of the PWM signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the control circuitry, in generating the pulse width modulated signal, is configured to generate the PWM signal as a fixed PWM signal without monitoring the PWM signal and without adjusting the PWM signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
emission protection circuitry cooperated with the switching circuitry and configured to dictate a rate at which a current is drawn through the switching circuitry and controlling electromagnetic interference (EMI).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a solenoid configured to cooperate with a plunger and to receive a plunger drive signal produced through a discharge of at least the first charge storage circuitry; and
plunger position detection circuitry configured to determine whether the plunger is in one of an open position and a closed position.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a solenoid configured to cooperate with a plunger and to receive a plunger drive signal produced through a discharge of at least the first charge storage circuitry, wherein the plunger drive signal is configured to induce a magnetic field relative to the solenoid that causes the plunger to change positions between an open position and a closed position;
an input stimulus source coupled with the solenoid and configured to apply an input stimulus into the solenoid at a time while the plunger drive signal is not being applied to the solenoid, wherein the input stimulus is sufficiently small that the input stimulus applied to the solenoid does not cause the plunger to move from a current position; and
sampling circuitry configured to measure one or more voltage measurements corresponding to one or more voltages across the solenoid, wherein the one or more voltage measurements are dependent upon the current position of the plunger relative to the solenoid in response to applying the input stimulus to the solenoid;
wherein the control circuitry is cooperated with the sampling circuitry to receive the one or more voltage measurements from the sampling circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the plunger is in one of the open position and the closed position based on the one or more voltage measurements.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a solenoid configured to cooperate with a plunger and to receive a plunger drive signal produced through a discharge of at least the first charge storage circuitry wherein the plunger drive signal is configured to induce a magnetic field relative to the solenoid that causes the plunger to change positions between open and closed positions causing an opening and closing of an irrigation valve;
first switching circuitry cooperated with the solenoid, wherein the first switching circuitry is configured, upon activation, to dictate a direction of electrical current flow through the solenoid, wherein the direction of current flow while the plunger drive signal is applied controls a direction of movement of the plunger in response to the application of the plunger drive signal;
an input stimulus source cooperated with the solenoid, wherein the input stimulus source is configured to generate an input stimulus that is applied to a first terminal of the solenoid at a time while the plunger drive signal is not being applied to the solenoid, and wherein the input stimulus does not cause the plunger to change from a current position;
a resistive load cooperated with a second terminal of the solenoid;
sampling circuitry coupled with the resistive load, wherein the sampling circuitry is configured to measure one or more voltage measurements across the resistive load in response to the input stimulus; and
control circuitry coupled with the sampling circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive the one or more voltage measurements, determine a current passing through the resistive load as a function of the one or more voltage measurements, calculate an estimated inductance of the solenoid as a function of the determined current and a timing of the input stimulus, and determine whether the plunger is in one of the open position and the closed positions as a function of the estimated inductance of the solenoid.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a solenoid configured to cooperate with a plunger and to receive a plunger drive signal from plunger activation circuitry wherein the plunger drive signal is configured to induce a magnetic field relative to the solenoid that causes the plunger to change positions between open and closed positions resulting in op

Assignees

• Rain Bird Corp

Inventors

• Ferrer Herrera Manuel J
• Lurcott Steven M
• Roper Todd K

Classifications

• F23N2225/18

  feedwater temperature · CPC title

• H02J7/63

  against overdischarge · CPC title

• A01G25/16 Primary

  Control of watering · CPC title

• H02M3/3376

  with automatic control of output voltage or current · CPC title

• B60L2210/14

  Boost converters · CPC title