Moisture absorptive rain sensor with sealed position sensing element for irrigation watering program interrupt
AssigneeHunter Industries, Inc.
InventorPeter J. Woytowitz
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Abstract
A rain sensor for use with an irrigation control system includes a position sensing element. A moisture absorptive element is supported for receiving rainfall. An actuating element is mechanically connected to the moisture absorptive element for movement adjacent the position sensing element as the moisture absorptive element expands and contracts to thereby induce a change in the position sensing element that can be used to generate an interrupt signal without any mechanical connection between the moisture absorptive element and the position sensing element.
Claims9
A rain sensor for use with an irrigation control system, comprising:
- a switch actuable between first and second states;
- a moisture absorptive element;
- means for supporting the moisture absorptive element to allow it to expand and contract based on the presence and absence of rain fall;
- and
- an actuating element mechanically connected to the moisture absorptive element for movement adjacent the switch as the moisture absorptive element expands and contracts to thereby actuate the switch between the first and second states to generate an interrupt signal without any mechanical connection between the moisture absorptive element and the switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.