US 4,922,433 A · Automatic irrigation water conservation controller

Abstract

A water conservation system that connects between a standard irrigation system that is controlled by a clock, and the water control valves of that system in order to limit the flow of water during timed irrigation cycles. When the timed watering cycles are initiated by the standard irrigation system, the water conservation device senses the moisture in the soil and compares it with preset wet and dry moisture limits and scales back each of the watering cycles in proportion to the moisture content of the ground to thereby conserve irrigation water that is applied to a ground area. The device includes a moisture sensor, a central processing unit, and a solid state memory that is connected to the central processing unit and the moisture sensor. When the device of the invention is initialized, the solid state memory samples and records the wet and dry moisture readings of the ground zone and stores the resultant wet and dry readings in the memory so that each time the timed irrigation system cycles, the water conservation device senses the moisture compares it with the wet and dry readings and scales back the amount of water applied to the ground area.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A water conservation apparatus for controlling duration of irrigation watering cycles of a timed irrigation system having control valves that deliver water to preselected ground zones comprising:

moisture sensing means disposed in contact with at least one ground zone for detecting moisture content of the at least one ground zone;
central processing means coupled to said sensing means for processing data on the moisture content of the at least one ground zone;
solid state memory means coupled to said central processing means and having a stored applications program for sampling the ground moisture content detected by said sensor means;
means for initializing said solid state memory means to take a plurality of samples of dry and wet moisture readings, and averaging and storing resultant dry and wet readings in said memory means;
control means coupled to said central processing means, said control means sensing by means of said moisture sensing means moisture content in the at least one ground zone and scaling back the amount of water distributed by the irrigation system in proportion to the moisture content in at least one ground zone, as determined by the stored wet and dry readings in said memory means, said control means thereby shortening or shutting off the water cycles of the irrigation system as the ground moisture content increases.

2 more elements

A method for conserving irrigation water by controlling duration of irrigation water cycles of a timed irrigation system having control valves that deliver water to preselected ground zones comprising the steps of:

sensing with a sensor at least one ground zone for providing wet and dry data of moisture content of the at least one ground zone;
processing the data received from said sensor using a processor to determine the moisture content of the at least one ground zone;
initializing a solid state memory means by taking a plurality of samples of dry and wet moisture limit readings and averaging and storing the resultant dry and wet moisture limit readings in said solid state memory means;
comparing the dry and wet moisture limit readings in the solid state memory coupled to the processor and using a stored applications program for sampling ground moisture data produced by the sensor;
and
operating said sensor to measure the moisture content in the at least one ground zone and scaling back the amount of water distributed by the irrigation system in each irrigation cycle in proportion to the moisture content in the at least one ground zone, by shutting off the control valves of the irrigation system for each of the watering cycles.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic irrigation water conservation controller

Life of this patent

Automatic irrigation water conservation controller

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15