Rain Bird Corporation

Bradley H Dolbin

Harvey J Nickerson

Jonathan I Marsters

John E Price

Riccardo James Tresso

Anderson Micu

Randy Ray Montgomery

Michael Joseph Millius

Patrick J Hibbs

Parthiv A Rajgor

Jiangjiang Dai

Michael Albert McAfee

Michael A Mcafee

Some embodiments provide irrigation generator systems that include a main conduit comprising an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit; a flow control system positioned within the main conduit; a generator conduit comprising a generator inlet conduit and a generator outlet conduit, wherein the generator inlet conduit is fluidly coupled with the main conduit upstream of the flow control system, the generator outlet conduit is fluidly coupled with the main conduit downstream of the flow control system; and a generator comprising a rotor assembly cooperated with generator conduit to be physically activated by a flow of fluid through the generator conduit causing rotation of the rotor assembly and generates electrical power. The flow control system transitions between a closed state to the open state in response to a water pressure exceeding a pressure threshold.

Self-powered irrigation systems, generator systems and methods of controlling irrigation

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to providing power and data to an irrigation device. In some embodiments, a decoder unit for an irrigation system that receives power and data from an irrigation control unit over a multi-wire path comprises an input interface configured to couple to the multi-wire path of a decoder-based irrigation control system and to receive an output AC signal modulated with data and transmitted by an encoder of the irrigation control unit over the multi-wire path; a switch coupled to the input interface; a decoder circuit connected to the input interface. In some embodiment, the decoder circuit comprises a control circuit configured to decode the data from the received output AC signal; determine that the irrigation device is to be activated; and output a control signal to the switch.

Data modulated signal generation in a multi-wire irrigation control system

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to providing power and data to an irrigation device. In some embodiments, encoder for an irrigation control unit that provides power and data to an irrigation device over a multi-wire path comprises: an AC to DC converter to convert an input AC signal into a DC voltage; an AC signal generator to generate an output AC signal modulated with data; a control circuit to provide a modulation control signal to the AC signal generator to control generation and modulation of the output AC signal, the data modulated on the output AC signal comprising commands in accordance with irrigation programming; and a multi-wire interface coupled to the AC signal generator to electrically couple to a multi-wire path extending into a landscape and to which irrigation devices may be connected.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Bradley H Dolbin