Programmable irrigation controller having user interface
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
G05D-011/00
G06F-017/00
G01R-013/02
G05B-011/01
A01G-027/00
출원번호
US-0424504
(2006-06-15)
등록번호
US-8160750
(2012-04-17)
발명자
/ 주소
Weiler, Steven W.
출원인 / 주소
Rain Bird Corporation
대리인 / 주소
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
47인용 특허 :
45
초록▼
An irrigation controller includes a user interface capable of presenting information to a user and allowing the programming of the controller in a simple and intuitive fashion. Information presented may include values of all programmable irrigation parameters associated with an irrigation zone. Info
An irrigation controller includes a user interface capable of presenting information to a user and allowing the programming of the controller in a simple and intuitive fashion. Information presented may include values of all programmable irrigation parameters associated with an irrigation zone. Information presented may include values of irrigation parameters associated with multiple irrigation zones. Information may also be presented graphically, in color, and/or in a plurality of languages.
대표청구항▼
1. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from
1. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a plurality of user input devices coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith, the plurality of user input devices configured to allow the user to create an irrigation schedule; anda user display coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display irrigation parameters associated with the irrigation schedule, the user display comprising a display screen, wherein,the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display all system variables associated with the irrigation schedule together to the user, the irrigation schedule corresponding to a single irrigation zone,the all system variables comprise an irrigation start day, an irrigation start time, watering frequency per irrigation start day, and a duration associated with the irrigation schedule. 2. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the user display includes a plurality of illuminatable indicators. 3. The irrigation controller of claim 1, wherein the user display includes a rotary dial. 4. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to modify an existing irrigation schedule and execute the modified irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a plurality of user input devices coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith; anda user display coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display an irrigation parameter associated with an irrigation schedule, whereinthe microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display a variable irrigation duration adjustment schedule associated with the existing irrigation schedule. 5. The irrigation controller of claim 4, wherein the user display is configured to display the variable irrigation duration adjustment schedule in a graphical format. 6. The irrigation controller of claim 4, wherein the plurality of user input devices are configured to allow the user to modify an irrigation duration of an existing irrigation schedule based upon a current month-of-year. 7. The irrigation controller of claim 4 wherein the microcontroller is configured to automatically adjust a first duration of the existing irrigation schedule in accordance with the variable irrigation duration adjustment schedule. 8. The irrigation controller of claim 4 wherein the microcontroller is configured to automatically adjust a first duration of the existing irrigation schedule to different ones of a plurality of duration values in accordance with the variable irrigation duration adjustment schedule, each of the different ones of the plurality of duration values corresponding to a different time periods within a year. 9. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule, wherein execution of the irrigation schedule is suspendable for an adjustable period of time;a zone driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a plurality of user input devices coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith; anda user display coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display irrigation parameters associated with the irrigation schedule, whereinin the event execution of the irrigation schedule is suspended for the adjustable period of time, the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display a numeric indication of an amount of time remaining until the suspension is removed. 10. The irrigation controller of claim 9, wherein the numeric indication of the amount of time remaining comprises a time period of less than one day. 11. The irrigation controller of claim 9, wherein the numeric indication of the amount of time remaining comprises a time period of less than or equal to one hour. 12. The irrigation controller of claim 9, wherein the numeric indication of the amount of time remaining comprises an indication of a number of hours, minutes and seconds remaining until the suspension is removed. 13. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a dedicated language adjustment input coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith; anda user display coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display irrigation parameters associated with the irrigation schedule, the user display comprising a display screen, whereinthe microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display information to the user in different languages based upon the user's engagement with the dedicated language adjustment input. 14. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to adjust a language from one to another of a plurality of languages in which the information is displayed to the user upon the user's engagement with the dedicated language adjustment input. 15. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein upon successive user engagements with the dedicated language adjustment input, the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to successively change a language in which the information is displayed to the user to a successive one of a plurality of languages. 16. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the dedicated language adjustment input is a single function input and has no other purpose. 17. The irrigation controller of claim 13, wherein the dedicated language adjustment input comprises a single button. 18. The irrigation controller of claim 13, the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display the information to the user in the different languages in a predetermined order based upon the user's successive engagement with the dedicated language adjustment input. 19. The irrigation controller of claim 13, the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display the information to the user in the different languages based upon the user's engagement with the dedicated language adjustment input and without requiring that the user navigate menus in a currently displayed language. 20. The irrigation controller of claim 13, the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display the information to the user in the different languages based upon the user's engagement with the dedicated language adjustment input and without requiring that the user select a given language from a list of the different languages. 21. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a display screen coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display irrigation parameters associated with the irrigation schedule; anda plurality of non-labeled user input devices proximate to the display screen coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith, the plurality of non-labeled user input devices configured to allow the user to create at least in part an irrigation schedule,wherein the microcontroller is configured to cause information to be displayed upon the display screen, wherein signaling by each of the plurality of non-labeled user input devices corresponds to information displayed upon the display screen at a location proximate to a corresponding non-labeled user input device. 22. The irrigation controller of claim 21, wherein the plurality of the non-labeled user input devices proximate to the display screen comprise at least one pair of the non-labeled user input devices, wherein the microcontroller is configured to cause the information to be displayed upon the display screen, the information including a variable corresponding to each of the at least one pair of the non-labeled user input devices, a given variable displayed at the location proximate to a given pair of the non-labeled user input devices,wherein user engagement with a first one of the given pair of the non-labeled user input devices increments the variable, and user engagement with a second one of the given pair of the non-labeled user input devices decrements the variable. 23. The irrigation controller of claim 21, wherein the plurality of the non-labeled user input devices are located relative to the display screen so that they are aligned with the information display upon the display screen. 24. The irrigation controller of claim 21, wherein the microcontroller is configured to cause the information to be displayed upon the display screen, the information including a variable corresponding to each of the plurality of non-labeled user input devices, each variable displayed at the location proximate to its corresponding non-labeled user input device; wherein user engagement with each of the plurality of the non-labeled user input devices adjusts the variable. 25. The irrigation controller of claim 21 wherein the plurality of non-labeled user input devices are separate from and proximate to the display screen. 26. The irrigation controller of claim 21 wherein the plurality of non-labeled user input devices are configured to provide the signaling to the microprocessor based on the user's mechanical and physically depressible engagement therewith. 27. An irrigation controller comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a plurality of user input devices coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith, the plurality of user input devices configured to allow the user to create an irrigation schedule; anda user display coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display irrigation parameters associated with the irrigation schedule, the user display comprising a display screen,wherein the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to simultaneously display all system variables associated with the irrigation schedule together to the user,the all system variables comprise an irrigation start day, an irrigation start time, watering frequency per irrigation start day, and a duration associated with the irrigation schedule. 28. An irrigation controller, comprising: a housing;a microcontroller within the housing and configured to store and execute an irrigation schedule;a valve driver coupled to the microcontroller and configured to output a zone activation signal to an actuatable zone valve in response to signaling from the microcontroller; anda user interface comprising: a plurality of user input devices coupled to the microcontroller and configured to provide signaling to the microcontroller based upon a user's engagement therewith, the plurality of user input devices configured to allow the user to create an irrigation schedule for each of a plurality of irrigation zones; anda user display coupled to the microcontroller and configured to display irrigation parameters associated with irrigation schedules, the user display comprising a display screen, andwherein, upon user selection of a given irrigation zone by the user, the microcontroller is configured to cause the user display to display, for the given irrigation zone, all system variables associated with the irrigation schedule of the given irrigation zone together to the user without further user manipulation of the user interface;the all system variables comprising an irrigation start day, an irrigation start time, a watering frequency per irrigation start day, and a duration associated with the irrigation schedule.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (45)
Addink,John; Buhler,Kirk, Automatic irrigation frequency adjustment for deep watering.
Eisenbrandt Gerald A. (Lincoln Township ; Berrien County MI) Bentley John R. (St. Joseph MI) Bailie Thomas B. (Bridgman MI) Bailey Curtis J. (Birmingham MI) Thurlow Sandra S. (Benton Township ; Berri, Electronic input control for a cooking oven having independent selection of function and sentence programming.
Snoddy Max E. (Dallas TX) Putnam Charles S. (Dallas TX) Gammenthaler Robert S. (Plano TX) Lutts William P. (Richardson TX) Brewster Leo L. (Plano TX), Irrigation controller.
Faris Mark (Yucaipa CA) Bancroft Richard H. (Riverside CA) Doup Leonard W. (Riverside CA) Benmergui Alberto D. (Alta Loma CA) Mock Gerald L. (Corona CA), Irrigation controller having expansion and pump modules.
Woytowitz Peter J. (San Diego CA) Munger ; IV Burton L. (San Marcos CA) Randolph Scott W. (Vista CA) Hopkins Larry K. (Escondido CA) Kreisher Donald L. (Vista CA), Lawn and garden irrigation controller.
Wilson Dennis A. (Wauconda Township ; Lake County IL) Anesi Dennis W. (Rolling Meadows IL) Williamsen Mark S. (Evanston IL), Programmable flow control valve unit with clock, program, automatic, manual, and repeat modes.
Ransburg David P. (Peoria IL) Fletcher Douglas C. (Peoria IL) Wahlstrom Sven E. (Palo Alto CA), Sprinkler controller which computes sprinkler cycles based on inputted data.
Madden Peter R. (Cranleigh GBX) Beks Franciscus B. J. M. (Crawley GBX) Nutt Graham J. (Wallingford GBX) Caviar Robert A. (Leawood KS), Three button programmable sprinkler controller.
Bermudez Rodriguez, Sergio A.; Hamann, Hendrik F.; Klein, Levente; Marianno, Fernando J., Infrastructures for variable rate water distribution systems.
Alexanian, George, Landscape irrigation management with automated water budget and seasonal adjust, and automated implementation of watering restrictions.
Redmond, David M.; Tennyson, Michael J.; Hern, Randall A.; Peterson, Gerald E., User interface for a sensor-based interface device for interrupting an irrigation controller.
Redmond, David M.; Tennyson, Michael J.; Hern, Randall A.; Peterson, Gerald E.; Fern, David G., User interface for a sensor-based interface device for interrupting an irrigation controller.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.