US 2021/0203142 A1 · WATERTIGHT ELECTRICAL COMPARTMENT FOR USE IN IRRIGATION DEVICES AND METHODS OF USE

Abstract

A watertight electrical compartment for use in an irrigation device can include a compartment body having a chamber and a sealing section configured to mate with one or more sealing rings. A sealing cap can mate with the sealing section and/or the sealing rings to seal the chamber. A cap retainer can be advanced over at least a portion of the sealing cap. One of the compartment body and cap retainer can have internal threads to be screwed onto external threads of the other one of the compartment body and cap retainer. The cap retainer can also have a stopping feature to keep the sealing cap in its sealed position. The watertight electrical compartment can be used in a wireless flow sensor assembly, a battery operated irrigation controller, and/or a battery-operated central controller device, to provide irrigation control, and/or sensor information, without the need for AC power.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A battery-operated, wireless, irrigation device configured to be secured to a lid of an irrigation valve box, the irrigation device comprising:

a housing having a first end;
a transmitter disposed in the housing and configured to wireless transmit a signal;
a battery pack having a container and a mounting ring, the mounting ring being supported at least in part by the first end of the housing;
a battery retainer being sized and shaped to be secured by the container of the battery pack, the battery retainer forming a receptacle and having an opening into the receptacle, the receptacle being sized and shaped to receive one or more batteries;
a removable cover configured to close the opening into the receptacle of the battery retainer;
a dome supported by the housing, the dome having an undersurface configured to abut against an outer surface of the lid;
and
a retainer mechanically attachable to the first end of the housing so as to tighten the dome, the mounting ring, and the retainer against the lid.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

17/200,704Filed 12 Mar 2021

Priority

11 Jul 2016

Published

1 Jul 2021

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H02G 3/088
Distribution boxes; Connection or junction boxes: dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof casings or inlets
A01G 25/16
Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like: control of watering
A01G 25/165
Control of watering: cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations
A01G 25/167
Control of watering: control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors

Family

Application15/207,323Continuation in part · filed 11 Jul 2016

Application15/845,362Division · filed 18 Dec 2017

Application16/254,457Continuation · filed 22 Jan 2019

Application16/419,613Continuation · filed 22 May 2019

Application16/777,761Continuation · filed 30 Jan 2020

Application17/200,704Continuation

Application16/254,457Division

Application15/845,362Continuation in part

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