WO2002023300A1

WO2002023300A1 - Irrigation controller stores history and calculates schedule

Info

Publication number: WO2002023300A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/025144
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Addink; Tony Givargis
Original assignee: Aqua Conservation Systems, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-09-13
Filing date: 2000-09-13
Publication date: 2002-03-21
Also published as: AU2001236333A1

Abstract

An irrigation controller (200) stores (210) and displays (250) a scheduled watering amount and/or a historic watering amount, in which the watering amounts are not solely entered by the user. The scheduled watering amount may be at least partially based on ETo data, and may be for any suitable period of time, including only the current day's irrigation station applications. The historic watering amounts are preferably stored for at least a seven day period. Both scheduled and historic watering amounts can be stored and displayed (250) for individual stations (400), or summarized across stations in some manner. The watering amounts may be displayed to irrigation users and third parties.

Description

IRRIGATION CONTROLLER STORES HISTORY AND CALCULATES SCHEDULE

Field of the Invention

The field of the invention is irrigation controllers.

Background of the Invention

In arid areas of the world water is becoming one of the most precious natural resources. Meeting future water needs in these arid areas may require aggressive conservation measures, such as use of irrigation controllers that apply water to a landscape based on the actual water requirements of the plants. Many irrigation controllers have been developed for this purpose, and known irrigation controllers range from simple devices that control- watering times based upon fixed schedules, to sophisticated devices that vary the watering schedules according to local geography and climatic conditions.

With respect to the simpler types of irrigation controllers, a homeowner typically sets a watering schedule that involves specific run times and days for each of a plurality of stations, and the controller executes the same schedule regardless of the season or weather conditions. From time to time the homeowner may manually adjust the watering schedule, but such adjustments are usually only made a few times during the year, and are based upon the homeowner's perceptions rather than the actual watering needs of the landscape. One change is often made in the late Spring when a portion of the yard becomes brown due to a lack of water. Another change is often made in the late Fall when the homeowner assumes that the vegetation does not require as much watering. These changes to the watering schedule are typically insufficient to achieve efficient watering.

More sophisticated irrigation controllers use evapotranspiration rates for determining the amount of water to be applied to a landscape. Evapotranspiration is the water lost by direct evaporation from the soil and plant and by transpiration from the plant surface. Irrigation controllers that derive all or part of the irrigation schedule from ETo data (ET irrigation controllers) are discussed in US Patent No. 5,479,339 issued December 1995, to Miller, US Patent No. 5,023,787 issued June 1991, and US Patent No. 5,229,937 issued July 1993 both to Evelyn-Veere, US Patent No. 5,208,855, issued May 1993, to Marian, and US Patent No. 5,696,671, issued December 1997, and US Patent No. 5,870,302, issued February 1999, both to Oliver. With simpler types of irrigation controllers the irrigation user generally knows what the watering amounts are for each station because the irrigation user entered the watering times into the controller for each station. However, with ET type irrigation controllers, the controller automatically varies the watering on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Since the irrigation user does not himself enter the station run time, he does not necessarily know what the station run times are.

Some users that employ ET irrigation controllers would like to know what the run times the controller is using for each station, and what run times have been used in the relatively recent past. In US Patent No. 5,023,787 and 5,229,937 a spread sheet is made available to the operator at a central computer, to show what the various station run times would be for different ETo values. However, the irrigation controller does not actually store and display the seheduled watering amount and the historic watering amount of each station's irrigation application.

What is required is an irrigation controller that stores the scheduled watering amount and the historic watering amount of each station' s irrigation application and then displays these stored watering amounts to the irrigation user.

Summary of the Invention

Methods and apparatus are provided in which an irrigation controller stores and displays a scheduled watering amount and/or a historic watering amount, which are not solely entered by the user.

The scheduled watering amount may advantageously be at least partially based on weather data, and preferably on current ETo data. The current ETo data is either received by the irrigation controller, or one or more of the weather factors used in calculating the ETo data are received by the irrigation controller and the irrigation controller is programmed to calculate the ETo data from the available weather factors. It is also contemplated that the weather data could be historic ETo data that is stored in a memory that is disposed in the irrigation controller.

The stored watering amounts may be limited to only the current day's irrigation application, but more preferably extends to at least a week. Stored watering amounts may be for individual stations, for the entire system, or some subset of the entire system. Any suitable display may be employed to provide the user with the stored information. Examples include LED or liquid crystal displays, as well as printers. Displays can be local to the controller, or located outside the controller. Displayed historic information may correspond to any suitable period of time, including one day, seven days, fourteen days, and so forth. The watering amount may be displayed in terms of seconds, minutes, hours, or any other desirable units, including a percentage or other ratio.

A microprocessor disposed in the irrigation controller may be programmed to transmit the stored historical watering amounts to an irrigation user and/or a third party.

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description that describes a preferred embodiment of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic of an irrigation controller according to an aspect of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of an irrigation system according to an aspect of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In Figure 1 an irrigation controller 200 generally includes a microprocessor 220, an on-board memory 210, manual input devices 230 through 232 (buttons and/or knobs) that includes a device for adding a day of watering, an input output (I/O) circuitry 221 connected in a conventional manner, a display screen 250, a communications port 240, a serial, parallel or other communications connection 241 coupling the irrigation controller to other devices, such as personal computers, etc., electrical connectors 260 which are connected to a plurality of irrigation stations 270 and a power supply 280, a rain detection device 291, a flow sensor 292, a pressure sensor 293 and a temperature sensor 294. Each of these components by itself is well known in the electronic industry, with the exception of the programming of the microprocessor in accordance with the functionality set forth herein. There are hundreds of suitable chips that can be used for this purpose. At present, experimental versions have been made using a generic Intel 80C54 chip, and it is contemplated that such a chip would be satisfactory for production models.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the controller has one or more common communication internal bus(es). The bus can use a common or custom protocol to communicate between devices. There are several suitable communication protocols, which can be used for this purpose. At present, experimental versions have been made using an I²C serial data communication, and it is contemplated that this communication method would be satisfactory for production models. This bus is used for internal data transfer to and from the EEPROM memory, and is used for communication with peripheral devices and measurement equipment including but not limited to water flow sensors, water pressure sensors, and temperature sensors.

In Figure 2 a single irrigation controller 200 operates two irrigation stations 400. It will be understood that these stations 400 are indicative of any two or more irrigation stations, and are not to be interpreted as limiting the number or configuration of stations. Structure and operation of the irrigation controller is preferably as described elsewhere herein except as to the storing of the historical watering amount and the scheduled water amount. Among other things, the irrigation controller 200 operates solenoids (not shown), which open the station valves 350 to allow irrigation water to flow from the water source 300 to be distributed to the various irrigation stations'400 and thereby irrigate the landscape through one or more (four are shown for each irrigation station but it may be any number) irrigation sprinkler heads 360.

When the irrigation controller is initially installed an irrigation program is inputted in the controller and is stored in the memory. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the initial irrigation program is modified during the year to affect an irrigation of the landscape that meets the water requirements of the landscape plants with a rninirnum waste of water. Preferably the current programmed irrigation applications are at least partly derived from current (or at least recent) ETo data that will generally result in the irrigation applications closely approximating the water needs of the landscape plants with a minimum waste of water. Since the ETo data generally changes on a daily basis, the water needs of the landscape will vary on a daily basis. Therefore, the scheduled watering amount applied to the landscape will generally vary daily.

The ETo data from which the irrigation applications are derived is preferably current or at least recent data, where the term "current" is used to mean within the last two weeks, and the term "recent" is used to mean within the last 60 days. Regardless, ETo data may be actual ETo data received by the irrigation controller or calculated ETo data derived from weather factors received by the irrigation controller. The ETo data may be historic ETo data that is stored in the memory of the irrigation controller.

As mentioned previously, with the simpler types of irrigation controllers, an irrigation user typically enters an irrigation schedule that involves specific run times and days for each of a plurality of stations, and the controller executes the same schedule regardless of the season or weather conditions except for possibly a few modifications of the settings during the year. The irrigation user knows how long the run times are for each station because the irrigation user entered the run time. However, with ET irrigation controllers that derive all or part of the irrigation schedule from ETo data the irrigation user does not know what the individual station run times are unless they can obtain the information from some source. The irrigation controller according to the present invention provides the irrigation user with information on the scheduled watering amount and historic watering amount of each irrigation station.

The scheduled watering amount for the current day's irrigation application is stored in a memory of the irrigation controller, and displayed to the irrigation user during a given period, preferably until midnight of a given day. After midnight, the controller displays the new day's scheduled watering amount. Of course the controller could also calculate and display scheduled watering amounts one, two, three or more days into the future. Scheduled watering amounts are preferably resolved into amounts for each station, but could additionally or alternatively be summed together for storage and/or display purposes.

With the historic watering amount, the irrigation controller preferably stores the actual watering amount for a minimum of seven days. However, it is contemplated that the historic watering amount could be stored for a lesser number of days (such as a single day), or for a greater number of days (such as for fourteen days). Data for different time periods may even be displayed to different viewers, and for different purposes.

It should be appreciated that the watering amounts being stored are not solely entered by the user. Instead, they are at least partially calculated by the controller, or downloaded into the controller from a distal source other than a user. Users are deemed to be fungible, and data entered by one user is deemed to have been entered by any other user. On the other hand, the term "user" is limited herein to natural persons, and does not include computers or other machines. It should also be appreciated that the watering amounts being stored are dynamic, and are not factory installed.

Displays can be any reasonable size, shape, composition, and so forth. Display 250 in

Figure 2 is a few inches on a side, and is an LED or liquid crystal type display. Other displays may be located away from the controller, such as on a desktop computer.

The microprocessor 220 is generally programmed to display both the scheduled watering amount and the historic watering amount to the user, but it may also be programmed to transmit any or all of the stored information to a third party. For example, the watering amounts may be communicated 241 to other devices, such as personal computers disposed in the residence of the irrigation user, and to third parties through the communication port 240. It is further contemplated that the watering amounts may be displayed to the irrigation user and third parties through printed material, audible messages, such as via a telephone system or any other suitable means that would communicate the watering amount information to irrigation users and third parties. It is contemplated that third parties, who might receive the watering amount information, include, water district personnel and landscape management personnel.

Preferably the watering amounts will be stored and displayed to the irrigation user and third parties in ordinary units, such as seconds, minutes, hours, and so forth. Watering amounts can additionally or alternatively be stored and displayed as percentages, such as a percent of the maximum summer watering amount, or in any other suitable ratio or amount terms.

Thus, specific embodiments and applications of methods and apparatus of the present invention have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An irrigation controller having a storage component that stores at least one of a scheduled watering amount and a historic watering amount, that is not solely entered by a user.

2. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the scheduled watering amount is at least partially based on weather data received by the controller.

3. The irrigation controller of claim 2, wherein the weather data is ETo data.

4. The irrigation controller of claim 3, wherein the ETo data is historic ETo data stored in the memory of the irrigation controller.

5. The irrigation controller of claim 3, wherein the ETo data is a weather factor received by the irrigation controller, and the irrigation controller is programmed to calculate the ETo data using the weather factor.

6. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the scheduled watering amount is only for a current day' s irrigation application.

7. The irrigation controller of claim 6, wherein the current day's irrigation application is stored for each of a plurality of irrigation stations.

8. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the historic watering amount is for a present day's applied irrigation application.

9. The irrigation controller of claim 1 , wherein the historic watering amount is for a previous day's applied irrigation application.

10. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the historic watering amount is for at least one of a present day's applied irrigation application and a previous day's applied irrigation application, for each of a plurality of irrigation stations.

11. The irrigation controller of claim 1 , .wherein the historic watering amount is for at least one day's applied irrigation application for each of a plurality of irrigation stations.

12. The irrigation controller of claim 1 , wherein the historic watering amount is for at least one week's applied irrigation applications for each of a plurality of irrigation stations.

13. The irrigation controller of claim 1 , further comprising a display that displays the watering amount in minutes.

14. The irrigation controller of claim 1 , further comprising a display that displays the watering amount in terms of a percentage.

15. The irrigation controller of claim 1 , further comprising a microprocessor programmed to transmit the scheduled watering amount and the historic watering amount to a third party.

16. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the display comprises a volatile visual display.

17. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the visual display is disposed in the irrigation controller.

18. The irrigation controller of claim 13 , wherein the controller is located at a residential property of a user, and the visual display is displayed in a personal computer in a residence at the residential property.

19. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the display comprises a printed piece of paper.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 13 June 2001 (13.06.01); original claims 1, 2, 6 and 15 amended; new claim 20 added; remaining claims unchanged (2 pages)]

1. An irrigation controller having a storage component that stores a historic actual watering amount at least through the end of a current day.

2. The irrigation controller of claim 20, wherein the scheduled watering amount is at least partially based on weather data received by the controller.

3. The irrigation controller of claim 2, wherein the weather data is ETo data.

6. The irrigation controller of claim 20, wherein the scheduled watering amount is only for the current day's irrigation application.

9. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the historic watering amount is for a previous day's applied irrigation application.

11. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the historic watering amount is for at least one day's applied irrigation application for each of a plurality of irrigation stations.

14. The irrigation controller of claim 1, further comprising a display that displays the watering amount in terms of a percentage.

15. The irrigation controller of claim 20, further comprising a microprocessor programmed to transmit the scheduled watering amount and the historic watering amount to a third party.

18. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the controller is located at a residential property of a user, and the visual display is displayed in a personal computer in a residence at the residential property.

20. The irrigation controller of claim 1 further comprising a scheduled watering amount that is not solely entered by a user.