Electronic irrigation system software
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsDoug Palmer, Dana R. Lonn, Paul Standerfer, David Stucke, James T. Wright, III, Russ Huffman, Steven M. Calde, Nathan J. Fortin, Christopher Douglas Weeldreyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one embodiment, the present invention includes irrigation control software for a computer that interacts with the features of a plurality of advanced sprinklers, environmental sensors, and other available data. The irrigation control software provides a graphical user interface to create a more efficient irrigation scheduling control interface.
Claims20
A method of controlling a pop-up rotary sprinkler of an irrigation system comprising:
- providing a computer in communication with a sprinkler;
- executing an irrigation control program on said computer;
- said irrigation control program further comprising a graphical user interface;
- receiving soil moisture data for an area of turf with said irrigation control program;
- determining with said irrigation control program an area of turf that requires water based on said soil moisture data;
- determining with said irrigation control program a watering arc sized to fit only said area of turf that requires water;
- determining watering arc control data for said pop-up rotary sprinkler;
- communicating said watering arc control data to said sprinkler;
- watering an area adjacent to said sprinkler based on said watering arc control data.
A method of controlling a pop-up rotary sprinkler of an irrigation system comprising:
- providing a computer in communication with a sprinkler;
- executing an irrigation control program on said computer;
- communicating sensor data to said irrigation control program;
- displaying said sensor data with a graphical user interface;
- said sensor data comprising a vertical height of a sprinkler riser of said pop-up rotary sprinkler;
- operating said graphical user interface to produce control data for said sprinkler;
- communicating said control data to a controller of said sprinkler;
- watering an area adjacent to said sprinkler based on said control data.
A method of determining a watering area of a pop-up rotary sprinkler with an irrigation software comprising:
- selecting an absolute position of a first arc limit of said sprinkler with said irrigation software;
- selecting an absolute position of a second arc limit of said sprinkler with said irrigation software;
- communicating said first arc limit and said second arc limit to said sprinkler;
- and
- activating said sprinkler to water said watering area according said first arc limit and said second arc limit
- receiving sensor data from at least one sprinkler;
- said sensor data comprising a vertical height of a nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.