Irrigation System with ET Based Seasonal Watering Adjustment
AssigneeHunter Industries, Inc.
InventorsPeter J. Woytowitz, Christopher M. Shearin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ET based irrigation system includes a stand alone irrigation controller with a seasonal adjust feature and a stand alone weather station including at least one environmental sensor. The ET based irrigation system further includes a stand alone ET unit operatively connected to the irrigation controller and the weather station. The ET unit includes programming configured to calculate an estimated ET value using a signal from the environmental sensor and to automatically modify a watering schedule of the irrigation controller through the seasonal adjust feature based on the estimated ET value to thereby conserve water while maintaining plant health.
Claims23
An ET based irrigation system, comprising:
- a stand alone irrigation controller with a seasonal adjust feature;
- a stand alone weather station including at least one environmental sensor;
- and
- a stand alone ET unit operatively in communication with the irrigation controller and the weather station including programming configured to calculate an estimated ET value using a signal from the environmental sensor and to automatically modify a watering schedule of the irrigation controller through the seasonal adjust feature based on the estimated ET value.
An ET based irrigation system, comprising:
- an interface that enables a user to select and/or enter a watering schedule and to input an overall watering adjustment;
- a memory for storing the watering schedule;
- at least one sensor for generating a signal representative of an environmental condition;
- a processor capable of calculating an estimated ET value based at least in part on the signal from the sensor;
- and
- a program executable by the processor to enable the processor to generate commands for selectively turning a plurality of valves ON and OFF in accordance with the watering schedule, the program including a seasonal adjust feature that provides the capability for automatically modifying the watering schedule based on the estimated ET value to thereby conserve water while maintaining plant health and further, wherein the program provides the capability for automatically modifying the watering schedule through the seasonal adjust feature based on the estimated ET value as increased or decreased by the user through the inputted overall watering adjustment.
(canceled)
A method of controlling a plurality of valves on an irrigation site, comprising the steps of:
- selecting and/or creating a watering schedule;
- storing the watering schedule;
- generating a signal representative of an environmental condition on an irrigation site;
- calculating an estimated ET value based at least in part on the signal;
- selectively turning a plurality of valves located on the irrigation site ON and OFF in accordance with the watering schedule;
- and
- automatically modifying the watering schedule based on the estimated ET value using a seasonal adjust algorithm to thereby conserve water while maintaining the health of plants on the irrigation site.
23-42. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.