Rain Sensor Interface for Adjustable Irrigation Interruption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing irrigation controllers lack flexibility in adjusting rainfall thresholds for interrupting watering schedules, often requiring difficult mechanical adjustments on remote sensors and failing to consider multiple atmospheric factors.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a separate interface unit and rain sensor, where the interface unit processes data from the rain sensor to determine if irrigation should be interrupted or resumed, allowing user-adjustable thresholds and considering rainfall amount, rate, and temperature, with the ability to maintain interruptions for a predetermined time after rainfall stops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical adjustments are made on remote rain sensors to change rainfall thresholds, then the threshold can be adjusted, but the operation becomes difficult and requires access to remote locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wireless communication system as an intermediary between the user and the rain sensor. The interface unit receives rainfall data from the sensor wirelessly and allows threshold adjustment through a user interface, eliminating the need for physical access to the remote sensor location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical adjustment mechanism (physical access to the sensor) with an electronic/wireless system. The interface unit communicates with the controller through wireless signals, allowing threshold changes without mechanical intervention at the sensor location.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional rain sensors only consider rainfall amount, then the system is simple, but it fails to account for multiple atmospheric factors that affect irrigation needs
Solution Approach 1:
The interface unit serves multiple functions: it receives rainfall data from the sensor, processes multiple atmospheric factors (rainfall amount, rate, temperature), makes irrigation decisions, and communicates with the controller. This multi-functional design allows comprehensive atmospheric analysis without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface unit acts as an intermediary that handles the complexity of processing multiple atmospheric factors. It receives simple rainfall data from the sensor, adds temperature and rate calculations, and presents processed information to the controller, isolating the complexity from the basic sensing function.
3Reliability
If irrigation is interrupted immediately when rainfall threshold is exceeded, then water is saved, but irrigation may resume too quickly after rainfall stops, before the soil is sufficiently recharged
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of rainfall rate and projected soil recharge before making the final irrigation decision. By analyzing the rate at which rain is falling and projecting how long it will take to recharge the soil, the system can make more accurate timing decisions about when to resume irrigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors rainfall data and adjusts the irrigation schedule based on feedback from the actual rainfall conditions. The controller receives ongoing updates about rainfall accumulation and can dynamically adjust the resumption timing based on how the actual rainfall compares to the projected recharge rate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables flexible and efficient irrigation control by adjusting thresholds at the interface unit, considering multiple atmospheric factors, and ensuring irrigation is halted for a duration after rainfall, addressing the limitations of traditional systems.
Implementation Method 1
a rain sensor including hygroscopic material, when a sensed expansion of the hygroscopic material is above a set rainfall accumulation threshold parameter, the rain sensor being separate from the interface unit and the hygroscopic material being configured to expand in response to being contacted by the rainfall and to contract in response to an absence of the rainfall
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a system and method for interfacing with an irrigation controller based on rainfall, the system comprising: an interface unit including a housing and a control unit within the housing and configured to: cause an interruption of one or more watering schedules executed by the irrigation controller, which is separate from the interface unit, based on signaling received from a rain sensor including hygroscopic material, when a sensed expansion of the hygroscopic material is above a set rainfall accumulation threshold parameter, the rain sensor being separate from the interface unit and the hygroscopic material being configured to expand in response to being contacted by the rainfall and to contract in response to an absence of the rainfall; and remove the interruption after a completion of a predetermined interval of time after a sensed contraction of the hygroscopic material indicative of a rainfall stop.