WO2019210212A1 - Hydraulic communication network and irrigation system - Google Patents

Hydraulic communication network and irrigation system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2019210212A1
WO2019210212A1 PCT/US2019/029412 US2019029412W WO2019210212A1 WO 2019210212 A1 WO2019210212 A1 WO 2019210212A1 US 2019029412 W US2019029412 W US 2019029412W WO 2019210212 A1 WO2019210212 A1 WO 2019210212A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
pressure
valve
hydraulic
address
network
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2019/029412
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Charles Neugebauer
Original Assignee
Leafburst, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Leafburst, Inc. filed Critical Leafburst, Inc.
Publication of WO2019210212A1 publication Critical patent/WO2019210212A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G25/00—Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like
    • A01G25/16—Control of watering
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/04—Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem"
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
    • G06Q50/02—Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Definitions

  • An aspect of the invention is directed to a method for controlling flow of a fluid within a hydraulic network with aid of an addressable hydromechanical device, said method comprising: receiving, at the hydromechanical device, an input hydraulic pressure sequence; selectively advancing an address mechanism of the hydromechanical device in response to the hydraulic pressure sequence, wherein the address mechanism is configured with an address for the hydromechanical device; and permitting a state change that controls the flow of the fluid when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device.
  • an addressable hydromechanical device comprising: an input port configured to receive an input hydraulic pressure; an address mechanism configured to selectively advance in response to the hydraulic pressure, wherein the address mechanism is configured with an address for the hydromechanical device; and a state change mechanism that controls the flow of the fluid within the hydromechanical device, wherein a state change is permitted when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device.
  • a system for controlling fluid flow within a hydraulic network may be provided in accordance with additional aspects of the invention.
  • the system may comprise: an irrigation appliance for generating one or more pressure sequences within the hydraulic network; one or more pipes configured to convey the one or more pressure sequences; and at least one
  • Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 shows a physical realization of a representative irrigation appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a representative fertigation module for use in an irrigation appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 5 shows an embodiment of a hydraulic termination based on a substantially linearized hydraulic resistor according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a representative hydraulically addressable valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 7 shows a physical realization and cross section of a hydraulic actuator according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 8 shows a mechanical design of a multiport valve hydraulic actuator mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 9 shows a mechanical design of a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 10 shows an addressing pawl mechanism with a pawl guide shown and not shown according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 11 shows a selective advance ratchet addressing gear stack with high and low pawls and gears according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 12 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform for advancing a ratchet gear address receiving mechanism and a corresponding mechanical motion waveform of ratcheting pawl position according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 13 shows an opening mechanism and valve state storage mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 14 shows a closing mechanism and valve state storage mechanisms according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 15 shows a multiport diaphragm valve construction according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 16 shows a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 17 shows a hydraulic communication protocol flow chart for selectively addressing hydraulic devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 18 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 19 shows an onboarding flow chart for installing, operating and amending an irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 20 shows an installed view of a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 21 shows a block diagram of a representative hierarchical fluid distribution system according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 22 shows a block diagram of a representative appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 23 shows a physical realization of a representative diverter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 24 shows a block diagram of a representative diverter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 25 shows a physical realization of a diverter valve with a hydraulic actuator and spring according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 26 shows an alternative view of a physical realization of a diverter valve including a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 27 shows a two-dimensional top view of a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 28 shows a simplified view of a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 29 shows a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 30 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform for advancing a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 31 shows a command evaluation and state storage mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 32 shows a bidirectional ratchet gear mechanism for turning a ball valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 33 shows a protocol flow chart for selectively addressing hydraulic devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 34 shows a pressure waveform and AC pawl position waveform of a
  • Figure 35 shows a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 36 shows an alternative physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 37 shows a block diagram of a representative emitter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 38 shows a physical realization of the command evaluation and valve control mechanism of a representative emitter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • a hydraulic network may be utilized to provide instructions to individually addressable hydromechanical devices in order to control the flow of fluid within the hydraulic network.
  • the hydraulic network may also be used to provide fluid to various portions of a landscape.
  • Crop and landscape irrigation presently account for over 80% of the fresh water consumption in the US. Irrigation technology has improved over the years to reduce waste and optimize plant health and crop yield. Many water saving inventions (drip irrigation, weather- aware smart controllers among many others) were originally developed for agriculture and later deployed into residential and commercial landscape irrigation systems.
  • Landscape irrigation can present unique challenges compared to agricultural irrigation. Outside of sports fields and gold courses, landscaping is generally heterogeneous compared to agriculture; a wide variety of plant species at different growth stages compounded with a variety of soil, wind and lighting conditions often conspire to make landscape irrigation design and implementation complex even before considering water use efficiency. Due to cost and technology limitations, the number of solenoid valves and watering zones (stations) for a typical residential or commercial landscape irrigation system is often constrained to be around ten or twenty whereas the typical number of potentially unique irrigation needs (e.g. a young tree, a shady part of the lawn, new tomato plants, a bush under an eave that receives less rain than its immediate neighbors) might easily number over a hundred.
  • a consequence of the coarse-grained irrigation partitioning afforded by typical solenoid zone systems is that each zone irrigation is ideally scheduled to meet the minimum needs of the thirstiest plant of the zone; as a result, in an ideally scheduled system the wettest parts of a zone are typically overwatered, often significantly (e.g. twice as much as necessary).
  • Irrigation uniformity has often been advanced as a design goal of agricultural and large turf golf/athletic field irrigation systems; implicit in the goal of perfecting uniformity is the belief that water delivery uniformity leads to the optimal plant outcome (e.g. crop yield, turf uniformity, etc.).
  • irrigation should ideally be based on the fine-grained plant needs to reach a desired outcome; such needs and outcomes can be highly non-uniform. Irrigation mismatch often becomes more pronounced as the landscaping matures and the irrigation equipment experiences soft failure modes (e.g. leaks, partial clogging, non-catastrophic damage such as tilted spray heads, etc.).
  • New plantings (annuals, vegetable gardens, etc.) that are grafted onto a carefully designed zone irrigation setup often unbalance the system as well creating significant problems for landscape maintainers that involve rebalancing flow rates by tuning sprinklers, changing out drip emitters for higher or lower flow, repartitioning zones or augmenting in-ground irrigation with garden hoses and hand watering.
  • Another important difference of landscaping compared to agriculture is that optimal plant outcomes are often more complicated than maximizing crop yield or farm economics.
  • a property owner may want to encourage deep root growth for a recently planted tree but then may desire to dial back the canopy growth rate as the tree reaches a desired height. Achieving peak growth rates of shrubs can increase pruning maintenance and result in more frequent re- plantings. Turf grass can require substantially more mowing if it is watered to achieve peak growth as opposed to achieving a desired aesthetic, plant health and/or re-sodding interval goal(s).
  • Irrigation on hillsides presents a set of additional challenges to the designer that are less common in agriculture; pressure changes due to elevation differences require significant design expertise and equipment costs to mitigate.
  • Hillside irrigation can require specialized equipment like pressure regulators, check valves, auxiliary boost pumps and relief valves as well as burdening the design process with detailed hydraulic calculations and strict pipe layout rules (e.g. laterals must run across a slope).
  • Many landscape watering installations have a manual system shutoff valve and a single layer of electronically controlled solenoid valves (often grouped in one or more banks) with long runs of parallel in-ground pipes and/or wires carrying gated water and/or control signals; such in- ground routing hardware is expensive to procure and decommission (economically and ecologically), disruptive and expensive to install (e.g. deeper trenches are often required for mainline pipes and wires), difficult to debug/repair (e.g. pipes/wires can all look the same) and raise the probability and severity of system failures (e.g. constantly pressurized underground mainline pipes, joints and manifolds can leak significantly without any surface indication).
  • in- ground routing hardware is expensive to procure and decommission (economically and ecologically), disruptive and expensive to install (e.g. deeper trenches are often required for mainline pipes and wires), difficult to debug/repair (e.g. pipes/wires can all look the same) and raise the probability and severity of system failures (e.g
  • Valves, pipes, backflow devices, drainage devices, emitters, wiring, etc. can all degrade over time due to materials failures, exposure, manufacturing flaws, wear, hydraulic pressure spikes (water hammer), biologic activity (pets, pests, algae, roots, humans, etc.), impurities in source water (e.g. mineral buildup, sand, etc.) and physical damage (mowers, rakes, trimmers, shovels, soccer balls, etc.). Detecting and locating such failures in conventional systems often requires significant time and specialized equipment. The costs of detecting and locating problems can easily exceed the cost of fixing said problems; as such, slow steady leaks are often tolerated and not repaired.
  • Underground leaks are estimated to account for over 10% of all water consumed in landscape irrigation.
  • conventional solenoid valve irrigation setups the below-grade landscape irrigation mainline distribution piping and the inputs of all solenoid valves are constantly pressurized; there can easily be hundreds of buried hand assembled joints that are susceptible to a multitude of failure modes.
  • Slow leaks can easily be both significant from a cumulative water waste perspective and simultaneously too low to be sensed by conventional irrigation flow meters.
  • irrigation flow meters As homeowners increasingly opt for drought resistant landscaping, the overall impact of mainline and chronic valve leaks as a percentage of total water use will increase. Such chronic slow leaks add up to a consequential fraction of a municipal water system’s pumping capacity, wasting both energy and water.
  • Zones are often made hydraulically large (e.g. large pipes with many emitter heads per zone) to keep the zone count low and minimize the amount of wiring and mainline required (each zone typically requires a dedicated wire and uses a shared common wire to a central controller). It is entirely possible to build a fine-grain low flow irrigation system with e.g. 100 zones running at 1/5* 11 the peak flow rate using conventional solenoid technology, but the added costs of mainline pipe, deeper trenching (for a longer mainline), wires, controller, valves and valve boxes would far outweigh the benefit of the smaller diameter pipes. Inexpensive irrigation systems tend to tilt the other way, running near the flow limit of the water supply (e.g.
  • Radio operated valves have been available for many years to mitigate wiring costs and adaptability.
  • radio operated remote valves can provide significant enough benefits to justify their costs. They are rarely used in conventional new-install landscape situations due to cost, aesthetic and maintenance requirements.
  • To minimize power requirements, such valves often latch the open/closed state and if power is lost can generate a“stuck open” fault.
  • Wireless electronics require environmentally robust housings, power sources and energy storage (e.g. solar, batteries, etc.), antennas and network infrastructure (e.g. access points or gateways) and most often require battery replacement every few years.
  • the copper wiring used for controlling solenoid valves and two wire decoders can present a lightning hazard and requires special care and additional expense to mitigate strike risks and damages.
  • Another class of hydraulically controlled irrigation valves may progress through a sequence of outputs or branches in a branching network. These may be referred to as indexing valves or sequential switching networks, these generally close one output and open another triggered by a simple on/off modulation of source pressure.
  • Such sequenced valve systems suffer from many deficiencies. For example, the sequence order is usually fixed and the controller modulating the line pressure has no indication which pathway is currently open; as such controlling watering intervals specifically per output path is not supported. Additionally, the proper operation of such systems is often dependent on all valves in the system behaving correctly - if a valve misbehaves it can often disable a large portion of the remaining network (e.g. a failure to close).
  • Such systems generally need a minimum running flow rate to support operation (often many GPM) and are generally incompatible with low flow drip irrigation endpoints.
  • the sequence of valve changing steps can also be disrupted by water hammer effects, either suppressing advances or creating extra advances (typically resulting one zone getting double water and/or the skipped zone getting nothing).
  • Such systems are often intolerant to clogs and intentional closes (e.g. a clogged line or a temporarily capped spigot) and can fail to advance or damage equipment (e.g. a pump) under certain scenarios.
  • indexing valves need to be configured at installation with the correct number of active ports; leaving any port open or closed (e.g.
  • Such systems generally are small (less than ten zones) as they do not scale particularly well. Modifying such systems to add, split or cap off zones is also generally difficult (e.g. requires new components to be procured and installed).
  • a still further class of hydraulically controlled irrigation valves may permit variable sequencing order and unique addressing of hydraulically activated valves using sequential one- hot signaling and/or linear addressing to select one valve out of many.
  • the number of unique addresses is substantially linear with the number of encoded bits or information units (e.g. pressure pulses).
  • Such systems have not been popular due to the practically limited number of valves intrinsic in the addressing scheme (e.g. typically ten to twenty valves with one-hot or progressive addressing), the onboarding and install complexity (e.g. manually setting an address mechanically per valve at installation, ensuring there are no duplicate addresses at a site), the operational requirement for particular hydraulic loads (e.g.
  • Hydraulically activated valves have also conventionally suffered from the inability of the system to react to faults or alert an operator/maintainer to a problem such as a valve failing to open, a sprinkler head blowout or a clog/blockage.
  • the hydraulic network may provide highly controllable irrigation to surrounding landscape. A high level of granularity may advantageously be provided in order to optimize individual plant health.
  • the systems and methods described herein may provide a network of pipes and valves that can be independently activated and deactivated by an irrigation appliance.
  • a hydraulic communication protocol may be used between an irrigation appliance and a hydraulic network of valves using time-varying pressure levels to discover, address, control, monitor and verify operation of a network of pipes, valves and output emitters.
  • a hydraulic communication protocol may encode a combinatorically large address space to enable both large numbers of addressable devices and easy installation.
  • the systems and methods provided herein may include a hydromechanical digital receiver that can decode a sequence of pressure levels and implement a command operation.
  • Such a hydraulically addressable device can extract motive power to implement mechanical operations from incident pressure variations.
  • Such a hydraulically addressable valve can be activated and deactivated without releasing any water or requiring any static flow to operate.
  • the systems and methods provided herein may advantageously provide a network of pipes, valves and emitters that reduce installation cost, complexity and ecological burden through the elimination of in-ground control wiring, the use of smaller uniform diameter pipes and the use of recyclable pipe materials while significantly increasing the number of zones that can be centrally controlled.
  • a hydraulically addressable valve may be provided that can be installed at or below grade to minimize the potential for damage and improve aesthetics of an irrigation system.
  • a network of such hydraulically controllable valves can advantageously detect leaks, provide fault isolation and notify property owners or maintainers of such faults.
  • a network of pipes, valves and emitters can advantageously support incremental modifications without significant knowledge of the existing hydraulic network.
  • systems and methods as described herein may provide a network of pipes, valves and emitters that natively controls water hammer effects to reduce both pipe costs and the probability of costly repairs while increasing signaling and control communication rates.
  • a network of pipes, valves and emitters and associated hydraulic communications scheme as described herein may be relatively insensitive to elevation differences, supporting hillside irrigation installations without significant design consideration or equipment overhead compared to flat installations.
  • the systems and methods provided herein may allow a network of pipes, valves and emitters to provide precise and fine-grained fertigation.
  • a method of installation may be provided that supports rapid onboarding of many addressable valves and uses automatic valve discovery to learn, model, validate, monitor, track and diagnose the system.
  • a method for communicating with an irrigation system may be provided, comprising an irrigation appliance and one or more networks of pipes, valves and emitters using a smartphone and/or cloud services to afford remote operation, storage, system backup, control, monitoring, parameter adjustments, data entry, sensor and/or performance data logging, security, access privilege management, workflow management, alerts, notifications and data transfer.
  • a multiport hydraulic valve apparatus may be provided that can be easily installed, flushed, tested, onboarded and
  • FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a representative example of a pressure controlled irrigation network according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • An irrigation system may comprise a source pipe 100 supplying water to an irrigation appliance 101 which, among other things, drives a network of distribution pipes 102 105 110 connected to valves 103 which are arranged to switch water flow to one or more valve outputs 106 which convey water to emitters 107 108 109 such as pop-up sprinkler heads, bubblers or drip line, among many others.
  • pipes 102 dotted lines
  • 105 110 solid lines
  • pipes 102 105 110 have an inner diameter between 0.4 inches and 2.0 inches.
  • pipes 102, 105 and 110 are 3 ⁇ 4” standard inside diameter ratio (SIDR) 15 - high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe that are joined using welded, glued, threaded, barbed, press-fit, twist locked and/or clamped tees, elbows and couplers to form the hydraulic pipe network 102 105 110.
  • the pipes may share one or more characteristics, such as inner diameter, outer diameter, thickness, materials, length, shapes, or other features. In some instances, one or more characteristics of the various pipes may be different as needed.
  • the specific choice of pipe components can depend on many factors like cost, availability, reliability, materials, temperature range, ecological footprint, toxicity, chemical compatibility, tools and/or installer familiarity.
  • the present teachings apply generally to all hydraulic networks independent of pipe and joint types; while some hydraulic components may be better suited to maximizing the utility and benefits of the present teachings, any pipe and any joint construction method may be used to practice the invention. As such the invention is not particularly limited by choice of pipe or joint technology.
  • the pipes as provided in the irrigation may serve one or more purposes.
  • the pipes may be used for both communications and transmission of fluids to emitters that may deliver the fluid to a surrounding landscape.
  • the same fluid e.g., water
  • the same fluid that is used to water the surrounding landscape may be used for communication that controls flow within the network of pipes.
  • pressure pipe 102 (dotted lines) segments can be used as a hydraulic transmission line with substantially uniform hydraulic impedance over its length that supports the rapid propagation of pressure waves for considerable distances without substantial pressure wave shape degradation.
  • a hydraulic transmission line 102 is driven by irrigation appliance 101 with a signaling pressure wave.
  • the signaling pressure wave may travel along the hydraulic transmission line 102.
  • the signaling pressure wave may be received by one or more valves 103 along the hydraulic transmission line 102.
  • a hydraulic transmission line 102 may be terminated at or near the end of its length with a termination 104 that matches the hydraulic impedance of the pressure pipe 102.
  • termination 104 substantially absorbs incident hydraulic pressure wave transients, minimizing reflected pressure waves.
  • hydraulic transmission line termination 104 is an alternating current (AC) termination that presents a stable matched impedance above a designed cutoff frequency and for a desired range of pressure amplitudes.
  • AC alternating current
  • short branching spurs of pressure pipe 105 110 (solid lines) that do not significantly load or impair the signal integrity of pressure waves on hydraulic
  • transmission line 102 are preferentially not required to be terminated.
  • irrigation appliance 101, hydraulic transmission line pipes 102, spur and branch pipes 105 110, joints and emitter valves 103 are selected and/or constructed to keep the aggregate hydraulic impedance encountered by propagating pressure waves in a bounded range (e.g. +/- 10% or +/- 30% from ideal) so that terminations 104 are reasonably effective in suppressing hydraulic pressure wave distortions, ringing and/or reflections.
  • spurs and branches 105 110 are a different pipe diameter and/or impedance than the hydraulic transmission line pipe 102 to provide desired effects such as minimizing loading on hydraulic transmission lines 102.
  • the transmission line(s) 102 and spur pipe branching network(s) 105 110 are populated with many valves 103 which, with the benefit of the present teachings, can be constructed to have one or more individually selectable output ports 106 that drive irrigation emitters 107, blocked outputs 108 or open outputs 109.
  • An irrigation appliance 101 may transmit a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals over hydraulic network 102 105 110 that are received and decoded by valves 103, such sequences encoding operational commands to open a specific output port 106 or close a subset of ports, for example.
  • irrigation appliance 101 transmits a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals that are additionally used as a mechanical power source by valves 103 to implement decoded state changes, e.g. opening or closing one or more desired valve output ports 106.
  • an irrigation appliance 101 is preferentially capable of precise flow measurements and continuous pressure modulation.
  • Such controls and associated sensors are preferentially used to provide detailed flow and pressure characterization data that quantify the states, functionality and characteristics of pipe network 102 105 110, valves 103 and emitters 107 (including open 108 and sealed 109 ports).
  • Such data is preferentially used by the irrigation appliance 101 to confirm valve 103 state changes, confirm proper receipt of transmitted commands, perform detailed system diagnostics (e.g. irrigation appliance 101 subsystem functional checks), determine the presence of trapped air in the network 102 105 110, discover and/or confirm addressable devices 103 on a network 102 105 110, perform leak detection and isolation in the hydraulic network 102 105 110, perform valve output 106 load characterization (i.e. flow vs.
  • the flow for each valve output 106 is characterized periodically and a historical model can be built and validated by the irrigation appliance 101 and associated app and cloud services (not shown).
  • irrigation appliance 101 can automatically determine such network non-idealities using detailed static and transient flow and pressure characterization of the network (e.g. characterizing reflections, high frequency channel responses, determining low frequency capacitance variations below the cutoff of the AC terminations, sending multicast packets to search for devices, etc.).
  • irrigation appliance 101 is able to mitigate the effects of such non-idealities by reducing pressure modulation slew rate, varying pressure modulation amplitude, compensating for channel characteristics by modifying waveshape and/or timing, isolating damaged networks 102 105 110, commanding air venting (e.g. through a hydraulically addressable air vent in termination 104 or a selected hydraulically distant valve 103), tuning termination (e.g. through a hydraulically tunable termination 104), generating user alerts and/or requesting adjustments, actions and/or repairs (e.g. replacing or manually flushing a termination 104).
  • commanding air venting e.g. through a hydraulically addressable air vent in termination 104 or a selected hydraulically distant valve 103
  • tuning termination e.g. through a hydraulically tunable termination 104
  • generating user alerts and/or requesting adjustments, actions and/or repairs e.g. replacing or manually flushing a termination 104.
  • flow data for emitters 107 108 109 is used by the irrigation appliance 101 to determine which valve 103 ports may be opened simultaneously without exceeding the flow capability of input source 100, irrigation appliance 101, hydraulic pipe network 102 105 110 or valves 103.
  • the aggregate flow from any valve port 106 is constrained at installation to not exceed the capacity of the input source 100, irrigation appliance 101, valve 103 and pipe network 102 105 110.
  • maximum permissible emitter flow is constrained to be between 1 to 10 gallons per minute (GPM).
  • the pipe 102 105 110 sizes, valve 103 and emitter 107 sizes are chosen to have compatible flow capacities which minimizes material cost and component variety.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 modulates hydraulic pressure at two or more levels to transmit a binary addressed command packet that is received by all valves 103 that are hydraulically connected to irrigation appliance
  • the irrigation appliance 101 within a selected hydraulic transmission line network 102.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 preferentially has knowledge of the correspondence between valve 103 binary addresses and network(s) 102 so that it can rapidly select a given network 102 (if more than one) and communicate with an intended valve 103.
  • valves 103 can be arranged to connect to a hydraulic transmission line 102 either by passing the network connection (i.e. the network 102 runs through the valve 103), using two connections or alternatively attaching at the end of a spur 105 110 with a single network port.
  • a two-port network connection in the base of valve 103 is preferentially configured so that the valve 103 can be placed on the network 102 or spur 105 110 either as a passthrough device (both ports connected to network
  • FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of an irrigation appliance
  • the irrigation appliance 150 may have one or more hydraulic network ports 155 to communicate and source hydraulic flows over one or more hydraulic pipe transmission line networks 102 105 110.
  • An irrigation appliance 101 150 is preferentially installed near a power source, a water source and one or more hydraulic networks
  • FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation appliance 101 150 with an electronics subsystem preferentially comprising a CPU 200, a wireless communications interface 201, a power system 202 and interface electronics 203.
  • the specific arrangement of electronics in a microprocessor-based appliance 101 can take many forms (e.g. a wireless interface can be embedded on the CPU chip or module; power electronics can be integrated with interface electronics, etc.).
  • the functional partitions shown in Figure 3 are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the invention.
  • the wireless interface 201 can take many forms such as a combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Internet of things (IoT) or cellular radio standards, among others.
  • irrigation appliance 101 150 is connected by a wired interface (not shown) to a computer network.
  • a wired interface not shown
  • Those skilled in the art will recognize the myriad of choices available for communications modules, networking protocols and interfaces; such widely practiced choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • Figure 3 further shows a water source 154 204 entering an input filter 205 followed by an isolation valve 206, a flow meter 207 to feed a hydraulic input node 209 whose pressure can be monitored by software using pressure sensor 208.
  • Isolation valve 206 is preferentially electronically controlled and reverts to a closed state if electrical power 151 is lost or a significant fault is detected by CPU 200 or watchdog electronics (not shown). In normal operation, isolation valve 206 can be activated and open, allowing input water at 204 to pass substantially unimpeded to input node 209.
  • Input node 209 may be preferentially hydraulically connected to a variable input valve 210 to source water into a low pressure accumulator tank 212.
  • Low pressure node 211 is further connected to a drain valve 213 and a pressure sensor 215.
  • variable input valve 210 and drain valve 213 are electrically controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 to regulate a relatively low (e.g. lower than input node 209 pressure) but non-zero pressure at node 211, stabilized by low pressure tank 212.
  • valve 210 if the pressure at low node 211 drops below a threshold, input valve 210 is opened to raise pressure; conversely if pressure at low node 211 goes above a higher threshold, drain valve 213 is opened, venting water to drain 214 to reduce pressure.
  • many valve types e.g. on/off or continuously variable
  • the low pressure at node 211 is bounded to within 10PSI (pounds per square inch) of a target pressure; as is well known in the art of pressure regulation, the exact choice of regulation valve type, control loop and control target (e.g.
  • a low pressure node 211 may be further connected to a pump 216 which pumps water through check valve 217 to raise pressure in a high node 218 which is stabilized by high pressure tank 219.
  • a pressure sensor 220 may be attached to high pressure node 218 which in this embodiment is further connected by shunt valve 221 back to low pressure node 211.
  • pump 216 can drive pressure at high pressure node 218 higher and shunt valve 221, when opened, can pull high pressure node 218 lower.
  • the pump 216 is activated continuously and shunt valve 221 is modulated dynamically to provide means for raising and lowering the pressure at high pressure node 218.
  • pump 216 may be modulated, e.g. using on/off activation or variable activation (such as a variable speed variable frequency drive (VFD) or brushless direct current (BLDC) motor driven pump) to variably pump fluid from low pressure node 211 to high pressure node 218.
  • VFD variable speed variable frequency drive
  • BLDC brushless direct current
  • CPU 200 regulates the pressure at high pressure node 218 by implementing a control loop using pressure sensor 220, shunt valve 221 and/or pump 216 to substantially bound the pressure in high pressure node 218.
  • control loop algorithm can be constrained by many factors such as energy consumption, noise, component wear, longevity, reliability, accuracy, stability, component cost, among other things.
  • This embodiment of the present invention is not particularly dependent on such control algorithm; any control loop that substantially regulates the pressure at high pressure node 218 to be substantially bounded around a target pressure (e.g. +/- 5PSI or +/-10PSI) is considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • the combined action of a low node 211 regulation loop and a high node 218 regulation loop may create a relatively stable operating condition wherein flows out of and into of nodes 218 211 are sourced and sunk while pressures at high and low pressure nodes are substantially stable.
  • the pressure difference from high node 218 to low node 211 is greater than the desired pressure signaling amplitude in network 102 105 110.
  • pressure regulation means providing flow capacity for an irrigation appliance 101 150, e.g. with no pumps (if source pressure is high enough), multiple pumps (e.g. to drive high and low separately), alternate valve configurations (e.g. no shunt valve 221), alternative regulation loops (e.g. purely mechanical, with pressure regulators and/or relief valves) are numerous; this embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited by such choices of components, topology and control algorithm to achieve regulated high and low pressure sources within irrigation appliance 101 150.
  • high pressure node 218 may be further connected to a variable up valve 222 which can raise the pressure of output node 224 toward that at high node 218.
  • low pressure node 211 is further connected through a variable down valve 223 to output node 224 and can lower the pressure of output node 224 down towards the pressure at low node 211.
  • CPU 200 can control the pressure of output node 224 dynamically.
  • Pressure sensor 225 is connected to output node 224 and allows the CPU 200 to implement a closed loop control algorithm that can rapidly vary up and down valves 222 223 to create fast pressure changes on output node 224 and synthesize arbitrary pressure modulations on output node 224.
  • Output node 224 is connected through filter 226 to a network port 227 to drive a hydraulic transmission line 102 with such modulations.
  • the group of output devices comprising an up valve 222, a down valve 223, an output node 224, a pressure sensor 225, a filter 226 and a network port 227 form a network driver 228.
  • additional network drivers 228 can be optionally implemented within the same irrigation appliance 101 150 to drive multiple hydraulic networks 102 105 110 155.
  • an alternate flow path from input node 209 is controllable by CPU 200 through bypass valve 229 and check valve 230 to high pressure node 218.
  • the high pressure node can be driven from input node 209 through bypass valve 229 and check valve 230 allowing the pump 216 to be deactivated.
  • the bypass valve 229 open, the high pressure node 218 will preferentially settle to a pressure similar to that of the input pressure node 209.
  • the up valve 222 may be transitioned to a mostly open condition and the down valve transitioned to a mostly or completely closed condition so that the pressure at the output node 224 and network port 227 is substantially similar to the pressure at input node 209, originating steady network flow directly from source 204 through filter 205, isolation valve 206 in an open state, flow meter 207, bypass valve 229 in an open state, check valve 230, up valve 222 in an open state and filter 226 to reach network port 227 and drive open valves 103 on network(s) 102 105 110 while the pump is not running, preferentially saving energy and reducing noise and component wear.
  • up valve 222 can be modulated by CPU 200 to regulate output pressure 224 and network port 227 pressure to a target pressure level that is lower than that at input node 209.
  • the network port 227 pressure can be dynamically modulated using a fast closed-loop control algorithm to create relatively fast transitions in network pressure (e.g. slewing at lOOPSI/sec) and achieve accurate pressure (e.g. settling to +/-1PSI within 0.1 seconds).
  • the output pressure sensor 225 feeds a proportional, integral, differential (PID) control algorithm running in CPU 200 that adjusts the up and down valves 222 223 to achieve a desired target pressure waveshape at output manifold 224.
  • PID proportional, integral, differential
  • ceramic disk valves driven by stepper or servo motors are used for up valve 222, down valve 223, input valve 210 and shunt valve 221.
  • bypass valve 229 and drain valve 213 are on/off solenoid valves.
  • shunt valve 221 and input valve 210 are on/off solenoid valves.
  • Many valve types, including motorized ball valves, solenoid valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, proportional valves and ceramic disk valves among others, can be used to achieve the desired pressure waveform synthesis in output node 224 and network port 227 as well as the regulation of high and low nodes 218 211; the present teachings can be implemented using any of these in any combination to achieve both steady regulation of high and low nodes 218 211 and fast dynamic regulation at output node 224.
  • a pressurized air source may be attached to the irrigation appliance 101 150 at various points such as source 204, input node 209, high pressure node 218, low pressure node 211 and/or output node 224.
  • air pressure introduced at high pressure node 218 is regulated by CPU 200 to create a low air pressure at low pressure node 211 using shunt valve 221 and drain valve 213 to pull low pressure node 211 up and down, respectively.
  • the air pressure at output node 224 and network port 227 is modulated using up valve 222 and down valve 223 controlled by CPU 200 to deliver modulated air pressure to the hydraulic network 102 105 110 for the purposes of clearing fluid from the hydraulic network 102 105 110, valves 103 and terminations 104.
  • such air pressure modulation can be used to signal valves 103 to open and/or close as determined by CPU 200 to clear the network 102 105 110 of fluid.
  • pressurized air is used to clear fluid from the internal components of the irrigation appliance 101 150 to prepare the system for freezing temperatures.
  • pressurized air is provided at irrigation appliance 101 150 and valves 103 and termination 104 are manually opened individually or in combination to substantially clear the system of water in preparation for freezing conditions.
  • a variable speed pump can be used instead of variable valves.
  • Centrifugal/impeller pumps and various positive displacement pumps are well known choices for such architectures, in single and multi-stage topologies.
  • a boost pump path could be deemed unnecessary by one skilled in the art if the input source pressure is sufficiently high to support the desired signaling and the recycling of backflow is unnecessary by design (e.g. always a positive flow from irrigation appliance with e.g. a fixed pulldown load on the network, dumping waste fluid is not a design prohibition and/or the fluid can be re-used for other purposes, e.g. a separate gravity fed drip irrigation system).
  • a fully mechanical pressure regulation and/or pressure relief mechanism can be devised that does not require a CPU or interface electronics to make a continuous feedback pressure control loop - such a mechanism could implement mechanical pressure regulation that is then modulated by digital on/off valves (e.g. solenoid valves) to rapidly transition between pressure levels to generate complex signaling waveforms.
  • digital on/off valves e.g. solenoid valves
  • An arrangement of tanks at various mechanically regulated pressures could be switched using variable or binary valves such as solenoids, proportional solenoids, ball valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, servo valves, etc. to generate a variable output pressure as required by the present invention.
  • Such engineering choices of the architecture of the pressure and flow modulation means are influenced by many factors such as cost, availability, power consumption, materials compatibility, familiarity, noise generation, efficiency, reliability, tooling costs, intellectual property considerations, environmental impact, size, weight, regulatory compliance, building code uniformity, import/export restrictions, health concerns, marketability, consumer price thresholds, profitability, development schedules and feature sets among others.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 150 block diagram of Figure 3 is meant to illustrate just one of a multitude of practical and implementable pressure modulation means well known to those skilled in electromechanical fluid control and is not intended to restrict the scope of the present teachings.
  • the primary purpose of irrigation appliance 101 150 is to convey fluid flow from a source 100 152 204 to an output port 155 227 and to further modulate the pressure at least one output port 155 227 to implement the communication protocol and fluid delivery of the present teachings; as is well known in the art such purposes can be met with a multitude of architectures and component choices that are available to implementers and such choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • Figure 4 shows an embodiment of an optional fertigation module which may integrate into the irrigation appliance of Figure 3 by receiving and holding drain water 214 250 from drain valve 213 in a mix tank 251.
  • the level of fluids in mix tank 251 can be sensed by level sensors 252; CPU 200 can command flow from low pressure node 211 through drainage valve 213 to fill mix tank 251.
  • Fertilizer tanks 254 and metering pumps 253 can similarly be commanded to add one or more liquid fertilizer concentrates to mix tank 251 which can then be pumped out by boost pump 255 into high pressure node 218 for emission through up valve 222 to output node 224 and on to network port 227 and network 102 105 110.
  • fertilizer tanks 254 contain component liquid fertilizers that are chosen to be weighted toward a basic fertilizer component, e.g. one of nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium, so that by pumping unequal amounts via metering pumps 253, CPU 200 can create a desired fertilizer component ratio in mix tank 251 at a desired concentration for delivery by the irrigation appliance 101 150 to a target valve 103 output port 106.
  • a basic fertilizer component e.g. one of nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium
  • CPU 200 has information about the particular plants fed by each valve output 106 and can model fertilization needs over time accounting for both user tuned growth targets and/or cultivar and site-specific requirements (e.g. citrus fertilization has a different seasonal nutrient profile compared to tomatoes, clay soil may require fewer nutrients compared to sandy soils, etc.).
  • fertigation techniques can be implemented using a number of nutrient storage, metering, mixing and injection methods; the detailed construction in Figure 4 of a fertigation add-on module is one of many possible fertigation module
  • Such alternative implementations of fertigation sourcing are similarly applicable to the present invention which provides for a much finer grain and regulated delivery network that substantially increases the utility, effectiveness and ease of use of fertigation in heterogeneous landscape installations.
  • FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a termination 104 that is preferentially located at or near the end of a hydraulic transmission line 102 as described above.
  • the termination port 260 may be connected to hydraulic network 102 as well as a flush valve 261, air vent 262 and/or a hydraulic resistor 263.
  • a manual and optionally addressable flush valve 261 enables this important setup task.
  • the available communication signaling bandwidth of hydraulic transmission lines 102 may be generally sensitive to significant entrapped air; flush valve 261 is also useful for removing such air, either manually or automatically.
  • flush valve 261 and air vent 262 can be similarly used to support such winterization.
  • Air vent 262 is preferably of the type that automatically vents trapped air pockets and otherwise seals shut when the trapped air has been vented.
  • the combination of flush valve 261, manual and/or automatic, and air vent 262 may also be combined into a single component to support the described flushing and venting scenarios simply and cost effectively.
  • Such combinations and permutations of these flush and vent functions are well known in the art; for the purposes of the present invention any combination of valves, vents, address decoders and wired or wireless activation means in any arrangement of components that achieves the described functionality, i.e. flushing water and debris, venting trapped air and/or venting compressed air and/or water for winterization purposes is considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • Termination input node 260 is further connected to a hydraulic resistor 263 for the purpose of terminating a hydraulic transmission line 102 to limit the effects of pressure signal distortion seen by devices attached to hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • an accumulator tank 265 is further attached at node 264 to hydraulic resistor 263 to form a hydraulic AC termination.
  • Accumulator tank 265 acts analogously to an electrical capacitor and is preferentially sized and pressurized to present a response time (defined as the product of the hydraulic resistance of 263 and hydraulic capacitance of 265) of hydraulic termination 104 substantially longer than the high speed signaling mode of the pressure sequence protocol transmitted by irrigation appliance 101.
  • FIG. 5 further shows an embodiment of a two-port hydraulic resistor 263 according to the invention.
  • a hydraulic resistor may provide hydraulic pressure drop in a linear manner over a range of flow rates. For instance, as flow rate increases in a linear manner, the hydraulic pressure drop may increase in a corresponding linear relationship.
  • ports 260 and 264 of housing 266 may conduct fluid flow through a mechanical barrier 267 with a narrow cutout 268 arranged in a pattern so that fingers 269 of the barrier material deflect progressively with increasing fluid flow.
  • the housing 266 may be formed of a cylinder with the mechanical barrier inserted across a cross-section of the cylinder.
  • the barrier may be formed from a semi-flexible or elastomeric material that may deflect as force is applied. In the absence of a force (e.g., fluid flow), the elastomeric material may be at rest, with the cutout substantially closed.
  • the barrier 267 material and cutout pattern 268 is designed such that the hydraulic resistance (defined as the pressure differential divided by the flow rate) is substantially constant over a range of flow rates and pressure differentials required to act as an effective termination for the pressure sequence communication protocol described herein.
  • hydraulic termination is a factor of many design parameters such as materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, pressure range requirements, linearity, response time, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, engineering familiarity, form factor, weight, corrosion resistance, user experience, susceptibility to clogging and ease of field maintenance.
  • design parameters such as materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, pressure range requirements, linearity, response time, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, engineering familiarity, form factor, weight, corrosion resistance, user experience, susceptibility to clogging and ease of field maintenance.
  • irrigation system e.g. valves, hose bibs, etc.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 of Figure 3 and the termination of Figure 5 can be used as a sensitive flow detector in an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Many common small flow scenarios e.g. a few 1GPH emitters on a valve output port 106 feeding a potted plant
  • an irrigation appliance can establish a flow into such an output 106 load (e.g. expected to run at 1GPH) and then isolate the up valve 222 and down valve 223 from driving the output node 224 and network 102 105 110 running the small load.
  • the AC accumulation tank 265 in termination 104 can supply the small flow (e.g. 1GPH), bleeding away pressure slowly.
  • the irrigation appliance has information (both from setup at install and measured information) that allows it to calculate a relatively precise value for the combined hydraulic capacitance of the network 102 105 110 and AC termination accumulator 265.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 monitors pressure on the network 102 105 110 using pressure sensor 225 and can then calculate a measure flow (e.g. 0.8GPH, if the nominally 1GPH drip is slightly clogged) by multiplying the pressure change measured over some time interval (e.g. seconds for moderate flows, minutes for tiny flows) by the aforementioned combined hydraulic capacitance and dividing by the time interval.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 can re-regulate it and repeat the experiment to improve the accuracy of the flow measurement.
  • a threshold e.g. 5PSI below the initial setting
  • the flow meter 207 and termination tank 265 are chosen so that the relative measurement ranges overlap.
  • the tank isolation flow measurement method gives precise low flow measurements (e.g. 0.1GPH to 1GPM) and the flow meter 207 gives precise high flow measurements (e.g. 0.5GPM to 10GPM).
  • the overlap further permits the calibration of one or both methods relative to the other for flows that can be measured by both methods (e.g. 0.75GPM can be measured by both network isolation and flow meter 207).
  • FIG. 6 shows a representative block diagram of an embodiment of valve 103 comprising an input port 300 which is hydraulically connected to a hydraulic actuator 301.
  • hydraulic connections are represented by solid lines and mechanical connections are represented by dotted lines.
  • Hydraulic actuator 301 creates a mechanical motion 302 in response to pressure changes at hydraulic input port 300. In a preferred embodiment, this mechanical motion 302 is approximately proportional to the input pressure at 300.
  • the valve may be a hydromechanical device, which may aid in control of fluid flow within a network.
  • a valve may have one or more input ports for fluid, and one or more output ports for fluid. The valve may control whether the individual output ports are open or closed.
  • Irrigation systems often need to be installed on hillsides; gravity has a strong effect on water pressure on the order of 0.433 PSI per foot of elevation change.
  • gravity has a strong effect on water pressure on the order of 0.433 PSI per foot of elevation change.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 and valves 103 have the capability to compensate or adapt to changes in baseline static direct current (DC) pressure offsets so that they can be preferentially installed at a multitude of elevations without compromising functionality, requiring adjustment or requiring external equipment to compensate for elevation induced pressure changes. Furthermore, hydraulic flows can experience pressure drops over long distances due to hydraulic friction in pipes, fittings and components that affect the pressure seen by distant valves 103. In a further preferred embodiment, valves 103 are equipped with mechanisms to adapt to pressure offsets that arise from friction losses.
  • DC direct current
  • hydraulic actuator 301 generates a mechanical motion over a large range of input pressures.
  • input pressures during signaling and/or operation may range for example from 10PSI to 100PSI, i.e. a dynamic range of 90PSI.
  • the signaling protocol of the present invention preferentially requires only a fraction of the available pressure range (e.g. 30PSI) for signaling, leaving the remainder (e.g. 60PSI) available for elevation and hydraulic flow pressure offsets.
  • valves 103 For valves 103 to be substantially insensitive to static pressure offsets, the mechanical motion 302 which is roughly proportional to the input pressure at 300 is passed through a DC removal mechanism 303 that adapts to DC pressure offsets present in the input pressure waveform and outputs an AC mechanical signal 304 whose motion preferentially is offset from directly proportional motion 302 in such a way as to cancel any static pressure offsets presented at hydraulic input 300.
  • DC removal mechanisms can be implemented by mechanical or hydraulic friction, magnetic braking, ratchet mechanisms, masses, springs, elastomers, dampers, shock absorbers and/or combinations thereof.
  • the specific implementation of DC removal can be influenced by many design factors; the present invention is not selective regarding the specific construction, only the functionality of taking an absolute pressure induced motion and converting it to a relative AC motion by substantially removing the effects of pressure offsets is required to practice the present invention.
  • the AC mechanical signal 304 is passed to addressing pawls 305 that can selectively turn one or more open ratchet gears 306 in response to a prescribed sequence of AC motions 304 on address pawls 305.
  • Open ratchet gears 306 preferentially are formed with a physical pattern of ratchet teeth that encode a selection address, e.g. a tooth encodes a binary“1” whereas a missing tooth in the same spot would encode a binary“0”; a plurality of such bits form a binary address.
  • a set of unique selection addresses are distributed across multiple valves (e.g.
  • the present invention only requires that a pattern of gear teeth on open ratchet gear 306 can be selectively addressed by a matching pressure sequence provided at 300 that creates a mechanical motion sequence of addressing pawls 305.
  • the address space afforded by such encoding is preferentially substantially exponential or geometric in nature, e.g. the number of unique addresses grows much faster than linearly as the number of encoded bits or logical quanta increases.
  • Such non-linear address encodings are desirable as they afford a much larger number of unique addresses than linear addressing provides for the same sequence length.
  • open ratchet gear(s) 306 are turned preferentially so that, in the case of a unicast message reception, a targeted open ratchet gear 306 will achieve a unique position relative to all other non-selected address ratchet gears reacting to the same pressure modulation in the active hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • the position(s) of open ratchet gear(s) 306 are evaluated by open evaluation mechanism(s) 307 using AC mechanical motion 304 to create an open mechanical motion 308 only in the specific case where the corresponding open ratchet gear 306 is in a particular rotational state and the AC mechanical motion 304 has a prescribed transition (e.g.
  • open evaluation mechanism 307 preferentially and selectively creates an open mechanical motion 308.
  • the open evaluation mechanism(s) 307 are mechanically connected to valve plunger(s) 309 which are further connected to valve toggle(s) 311 and diaphragm valve(s) 313.
  • Diaphragm valves 313 preferentially switch hydraulic fluid flow from hydraulic input 300 to one or more output ports 106 314.
  • diaphragm valve(s) 313 contain an elastomer sheet and/or spring that, along with valve plunger(s) 309 and valve toggles 311 preferentially form a bi-stable mechanical latch.
  • restorative forces from hydraulic input 300 and elastomer/spring create two stable valve states (open and closed) in conjunction with valve plunger 309 and valve toggle 311.
  • open motion 308 triggers the release of one or more such bi-stable valve latches to flip a selected diaphragm valve 313 from a closed state to an open state.
  • the pressure at hydraulic input 313 provides motive forces 310 312 through the diaphragm valve 313 and valve plunger 309 that, once triggered, forces the selected valve plunger 309, valve toggle 311 and diaphragm valve 313 from a slightly open state to a fully open state.
  • the motive force required by open motion 308 can be made small relative to the motive force provided by hydraulic input 300 to fully open a selected valve 312 thus creating a hydromechanical gain in the system.
  • a small force at 308 can open a large valve 313 and permit a large flow from hydraulic input 300 to a selected valve port 314.
  • Such hydromechanical gain that enables small forces to switch large hydraulic currents and valve bi-stability can be implemented in a variety of ways known in the art using numerous types of valves (ball, gate, butterfly, diaphragm, disc and piloted, among others) and mechanical latches (toggles, cams, springs, levers, latches, ratchets, elastomer and geared, among others); as such the specific constraints such as cost, size, reliability, etc. and resultant implementation choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • optional open button(s) 315 can be manually operated to provide the mechanical open motion 316 to trigger the release of the valve latch formed by diaphragm valve(s) 313, valve plunger(s) 309 and valve toggle(s) 311.
  • Such manual operation is often useful during initial system setup (e.g. to flush pipes 102 105 110 106, valves 103 and emitters 107), during normal use (e.g. to tune sprinkler heads, to activate a garden hose for hand watering, to provide extra water to a zone, etc.), for winterization (e.g. to allow pressurized air to blow out standing water) or for debugging (e.g. to check appliance, network, valve and/or emitter function).
  • the addressing pawls 305 can also selectively advance a close ratchet gear 317 that is preferentially similar to open ratchet gear(s) 306 (i.e. encoding a logical address in a pattern of extant or missing gear teeth) and can be selectively turned by a particular sequence of pressure changes at hydraulic input 300 to a physical rotation state that allows a close evaluation mechanism 318 (e.g. a lever) to sample the position of close ratchet gear 317.
  • a close evaluation mechanism 318 e.g. a lever
  • Close bit 320 is preferentially a bi- stable mechanical latch that can store one of two states herein labeled“engaged” and
  • close pawls 321 can either be engaged to or disengaged from (as controlled by close bit 320) a close crank mechanism 322.
  • the close crank mechanism 322 of Figure 6 is preferentially able to be driven open by the hydraulically provided force at valve toggle 311 (mechanical pathway 323 A) when a diaphragm valve 313 is opened (by action of open motions 308 or 316) and additionally driven closed by the mechanical pathway from hydraulic actuator 301 and close pawls 321 (mechanical pathway 323B) by a ratchet gear within 322.
  • diaphragm valve(s) 313 can require substantial mechanical force on valve plungers 309 to close against the network hydraulic pressure at port 300; such large force can be created by a repetitive reciprocating mechanical motion at 302 created by a cyclic hydraulic pressure waveform at 300 that is translated into a small movement at high force by the mechanical leverage of close pawls 321, a ratchet gear and gear reduction within close crank mechanism 322 and valve toggles 311.
  • the mechanical motive force for closing diaphragm valve(s) 313 is derived directly from the hydraulic actuator 301.
  • the mechanical motive force is derived from AC mechanical motion 304 after DC removal 303.
  • close crank mechanism 322 creates a reset mechanical motion 324 that can reset close bit 320 to a“disengaged” state when close crank mechanism 322 reaches a position where diaphragm valve(s) 313 are known closed and the mechanical latch comprising the interaction of valve toggle 311, valve plunger 309 and diaphragm valve 313 is in its closed state.
  • reset mechanical motion 324 is asserted if all diaphragm valves 313 are closed;
  • valve of Figure 6 can be selective addressed by a sequence of hydraulic pressure levels at port 300 that, when matching the sequence encoded on close ratchet gear 317 can trigger a close bit 320 to be set to“engage” 319 if any of one or more diaphragm valve(s) 313 is in an open state.
  • a specific form of the receiving mechanism (in the case of Figure 6, a hydraulic actuator 301, DC removal 303, addressing pawls 305 and one or more gears 306 317 with different patterns of missing teeth encoding said logical address(es)) is provided as an illustrative example.
  • substitute alternative actuator mechanisms eliminate DC removal, employ linear ratchets or bi- directional ratchets with or without missing teeth, encode multi-level addresses with one or more gears, etc. to selectively open and/or close one or more output port(s) of a valve 103 with a hydraulic pressure sequence encoding a matching or partially matching logical address of said valve.
  • the DC removal operation 303 is removed and addressing pawls 305 and evaluation mechanisms 307 318 are directly driven by hydraulic actuator 301 output 302.
  • the address ratchet gears 306 317 respond to absolute pressure levels which may be functionally adequate for installations with small elevation changes and low flow rates.
  • Those skilled in the art will recognize a tradeoff between cost and features can be done that trades elevation insensitivity for valve cost and protocol pressure swings, i.e. the pressure range of the protocol can be increased so that there is some native elevation tolerance without a DC removal mechanism 303.
  • Such alternatives are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • close button 325 can optionally act to set 326 close bit 320 to the“engaged” state and additionally provide a reciprocating mechanical force
  • the close bit 320 can preferentially be set by link
  • the close bits 320 across many valves can be set by a simple depressurization below an absolute pressure threshold (e.g. 5 PSI).
  • the pressure cycling frequency, amplitude and offset may be preferentially modulated to successfully close valves 103 that are hydraulically near a hydraulic transmission line discontinuity (e.g. rupture or clog) in order to generate sufficient pressure amplitude to drive close crank mechanism 322.
  • a hydraulic transmission line discontinuity e.g. rupture or clog
  • valves 103 are commonly buried with network pipes 102 105 110 and only a cover plate is at grade; in this circumstance the valve 103 is often at a local high point and can collect entrained air which is preferentially vented by air vent 327.
  • a flow path within valves 103 is provided so that substantially all entrained air can be reliably flushed from valves 103 and network 102 105 110.
  • FIG. 7 through 16 describe a detailed implementation of a hydraulically addressed valve according to the present invention.
  • Figure 7 shows a physical realization and cross section of an example hydraulic actuator 301 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • the construction of Figure 7 closely follows that of pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) which are well known in the art and can be used as hydraulic actuators 301, herein called hydraulic artificial muscles (HAMs).
  • PAMs pneumatic artificial muscles
  • HAMs hydraulic artificial muscles
  • Compact PAMs have been developed that can generate high forces with pressures in the aforementioned ranges in an irrigation system with cycle lifetimes of over 100 million cycles (“ Fatigue Life Testing of Swaged Pneumatic Artificial Muscles as Actuators For Aerospace Applications’ Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, 23(3) 327-343, 2011, Woods et al).
  • the HAM of this embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 7 comprises a central cylindrical section 350 constructed of an outer braided sleeve 351 and an inner elastomeric tube 352.
  • Input fluid is conducted through a feed port 357 through an axial hole in threaded screw 356 (threads not shown) and plug 354 to reach the central cavity.
  • the threaded portion 356 is used to both seal the input port into a housing (not shown) and provide a mechanical anchor for the axial forces generated by the HAM.
  • the opposing end of the HAM is preferentially comprised of an anchor plug 358 with a similar threaded anchor screw 355 (threads not shown). Crimps 353
  • pressure-to-force or pressure-to-motion conversion technique to use in a given engineering task is a complex function of cost, availability, power requirements, force requirements, mechanical motion range, linearity, thermal considerations, potential failure modes, materials compatibility, engineer familiarity, noise generation, efficiency, reliability, tooling costs, intellectual property considerations, environmental impact, ecological burden, size, weight, regulatory compliance, import/export restrictions, health concerns, marketability, consumer price thresholds, profitability, development schedules and feature sets among others.
  • any hydraulic mechanical means to translate incident pressure changes at port 300 to mechanical motions 302 is applicable to the hydraulic actuator 301 of the present invention.
  • mechanical motions can be created from varying forces using any number of mechanical loads.
  • Springs, levers, weights, counter-posed hydraulic actuators, magnets, solenoids, elastomers, air tanks, bellows, diaphragms, pneumatic components, shock absorbers, etc. are often used individually or in combination to create a mechanical motion from a change in applied force.
  • Such engineering choice of mechanical loads to affect mechanical motions, e.g. at 302, from force changes in hydraulic actuator 301 are commonly made depending on a myriad of considerations; the present invention can generally use any mechanical load that translates a pressure driven force change in a hydraulic actuator 301 into a mechanical motion 302.
  • Figure 8 shows a physical realization of a portion of an embodiment of a valve 103 comprising a frame 400 (one side not shown for clarity), a base 401, and a rocker arm 402.
  • Rocker arm 402 can pivot freely on axle 403 which is anchored to frame 400.
  • Mainspring 404 is connected between rocker arm 402 at axle 405 and base 401 by means of rigid linkage components 406.
  • Hydraulic artificial muscle 407 is attached to rocker arm 402 at axle 408 and to base 401 at point 409 so that the contraction of HAM 407 causes rotation of rocker 402 about axle 403 and consequently the extension of mainspring 404.
  • valve body 410 permits fluid flow from network 102 105 110 300 to HAM 407; at high pressure the HAM 407 pulls on mainspring 404 and at low pressure the HAM 407 relaxes allowing mainspring 404 to contract, creating pressure dependent motion of rocker 402 to implement, in combination, a hydraulic actuator 301.
  • Spring 404 can take many forms; extension, compression, torsion, leaf, pneumatic and elastomer springs are well known in the art and may be substituted individually or in combination to perform the requisite translation of hydraulic pressure change mechanical motion.
  • rocker 402 is connected to linkage 411 and pushrod 412 to provide mechanical motion 302 to a DC removal mechanism 303 (not shown in Figure 8).
  • pushrod 412 is constrained to move linearly (vertically in Figure 8).
  • the rocker 402 geometry, mainspring 404 characteristics, HAM 407 characteristics, axle pivot points 403 405 408 and linkage 411 attachment points are chosen so that the position of pushrod 412 is approximately linear with hydraulic input pressure at 410 300.
  • any number of mechanical hydraulic actuators and countering loads can approximately translate pressure changes linearly into mechanical motions; any number of these designs can be substituted for the mechanism described in detail herein to meet the objective of the invention to translate hydraulic pressure changes to approximately proportional mechanical motion (rotary or linear).
  • the present invention is not dependent on the underlying choice of hydromechanical actuation.
  • FIG. 9 shows two views (front and back) of a mechanical design of a DC removal mechanism 303 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • rocker arm 402 turns about axle 403 by the action of HAM 407 (not shown) and mainspring 404 (not shown).
  • Rocker arm 402 is connected to linkage 411 and pushrod 412 whose vertical position 450 in Figure 9 is preferentially nearly proportional to input hydraulic pressure as discussed above.
  • Pushrod 412 passes through guides 461 of a DC removal sled 451 that is constrained to move vertically by linear bushings or bearings 460 sliding on stationary rails 452.
  • a variable clamping mechanism comprising symmetric friction pads 453 and clamp levers 454 are attached to sled 451 at vertical axles 455; the variable clamping mechanism drives the sled 451 vertically by creating friction with pads 453 pinched symmetrically (dotted arrows on left of Figure 9) against pushrod 412.
  • Compression spring 456 applies an expansive force (dotted arrow on right of Figure 9) against clamp levers 454 which creates a clamping force at friction pads 453 on pushrod 412 causing sled 451 to move along with pushrod 412.
  • Clamp rollers 457 also move vertically with sled 451 and can, at top and bottom limits, encounter a stationary clamp limiter plate 458 which causes the rollers 457 to compress spring 456 which reduces clamping friction on the pushrod 412 at predetermined up and down threshold positions defined by the shape of stationary clamp limiter plate 458. If the clamp friction at pads 453 is reduced sufficiently by such clamp limiter plate 458, sled 451 will stop moving and pushrod 412 will slip through until pushrod 412 reverses direction.
  • an input pressure signal consisting of a gradual amplitude reduction of a cyclic pressure waveform (i.e.
  • an amplitude modulation (AM) ramp down can cause both the upper and lower limits of clamp limit plate 458 to alternately engage until the amplitude of the motion of pushrod 412 is less than the range allowed by clamp limit plate 458.
  • the sled 451 position then approximately corresponds to the small signal AC variation in the input pressure, achieving the DC removal function 303 described in the valve block diagram of Figure 6.
  • Figure 10 shows an addressing pawl mechanism 305 according to an embodiment of the invention, with and without a pawl guide plate shown for clarity.
  • a high pressure pawl 500 that is driven by the DC-removed mechanical motion 304 of sled 451 at an axle 502 about which pawl 500 can rotate; similarly a low pressure pawl 501 is driven by the same DC- removed mechanical motion 304 of sled 451 at axle 503 about which it can rotate.
  • the high pressure pawl 500 and low pressure pawl 501 selectively engage an address ratchet gear stack 504 that rotates freely about stationary axle 505.
  • the address ratchet gear stack 504 is constrained to only advance counterclockwise by catch 506 which pivots around stationary axle 507 and is preferentially sprung (spring not shown) to constantly engage address ratchet gear stack 504.
  • Catch 506 prevents clockwise rotation of address ratchet gear stack 504; those skilled in the art will recognize many different alternate implementations of such a function, e.g. using friction, a clutch, a dedicated ratchet gear, etc. - such alternative implementations with similar functionality are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
  • address ratchet gear stack 504 is preferentially comprised of two or more ratchet gears, each with a pattern of missing teeth;
  • Figure 10 only shows a simplified gear with no missing teeth in an effort to clarify the operations of the pawls.
  • Figure 11 and associated descriptions below provide more details on the construction of address ratchet gear stack 504.
  • axles 502 and 503 move vertically with sled 451 in correspondence with the AC mechanical motion 304 (i.e. DC-removed); on a downstroke (higher pressure), the high pressure pawl tip 500A can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 if it engages with a tooth. Similarly on an upstroke (lower pressure) the low pressure pawl tip 501 A can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 if it engages with a tooth.
  • a torsion spring 508 is attached to both high pawl 500 and low pawl 501; these attachment points are preferentially allowed to freely pivot.
  • the torsion spring 508 as shown in Figure 10 is compressed and provides an outward expanding force to the torsion spring linkage points on high pawl 500 and low pawl 501. This expanding force causes high pawl 500 to rotate counterclockwise about moving axle 502 so that high pawl tip 500A is rotated into address ratchet gear stack 504.
  • a guide pin 509 (normal to the plane of Figure 10) is slotted into an opening in a pawl guide plate 511, shown on the right of Figure 10.
  • high pawl guide pin 509 can make contact with pawl guide plate 511, causing guide pin 509 to trace a path similar to 512 and thus causing high pawl 500 to rotate about axle 502 at certain vertical excursions; this desired rotation causes the high pawl tip 500A to trace a path 513 that intentionally disengages high pawl tip 500A from address ratchet gear stack 504 at low input pressures.
  • this disengagement results in the high pressure pawl only being engaged at mid to high pressures and thus only able to advance address ratchet gear stack 504 counterclockwise on low or mid to high pressure excursions when a gear tooth is available.
  • Torsion spring 508 similarly pushes against low pawl 501 but due to the preferential alignment of the torsion spring force relative to the low pawl pivot (axle 503), the low pawl preferentially exhibits a bi-stable mechanical behavior. If low pawl 501 is engaged with address ratchet gear stack 504, the expansive force of torsion spring 508 will preferentially drive low pawl clockwise in Figure 10, i.e. in the direction of further engagement with address ratchet gear stack 504. If, however, low pawl 501 is disengaged, the expansive force of torsion spring 508 will preferentially drive low pawl counterclockwise in Figure 10, i.e. in the direction of further disengagement. This restorative force created by torsion spring 508 on low pawl 501 creates a stable mechanical pawl state bit; the low pawl 501 can be either in an engaged state or a disengaged state.
  • Low pawl 501 has an extended rigid arm with a low guide pin 510 extending normal to the plane of Figure 10.
  • Pawl guide plate 511 shown on the right of Figure 10, has an opening that low pawl guide pin 510 fits through and can contact to modify the low pawl 501 behavior on pressure excursions. If the low pawl 501 is in an engaged state and experiences a high pressure excursion, low pawl guide pin 510 will contact pawl guide plate 511 on a downward motion, experiencing a counterclockwise torque about axle 503 and preferentially flip to a disengaged state, as shown in low pawl pin trace 514 and low pawl tip trace 515. Upon returning to a low pressure (upward) excursion, low pawl guide pin 510 will preferentially again contact pawl guide plate 511, now experiencing a clockwise torque about pivot 503 and preferentially change to the engaged state.
  • Low pawl 501 and its guide pin 510 working in conjunction with the pawl guide plate 511 provide a means for engaging and disengaging at particular positional excursions of sled 451 (to which axles 502 and 503 are attached, experiencing vertical motion on AC input pressure changes as described previously).
  • These mechanical thresholds, set by the cutouts in pawl guide plate 511 translate to AC pressure thresholds and implement a discriminating function for receiving digital information in the form of incident hydraulic pressure waveforms.
  • the bi- stability of the low pawl 501 (engaged or disengaged) of this embodiment is desirable as it allows large AC pressure excursions (e.g. rail-to-rail motions of high and low pawls 500 501) to repeatedly disengage and engage low pawl 501 which prevents advancement of address ratchet gear stack 504 by the low pawl 501.
  • the high pressure pawl 500 engages with a ratchet gear in stack 504 that has a single missing tooth. In this case, if only high pressure pawl 500 is allowed to advance the gear stack 504, any sufficiently large number of high pressure cycles will cause the gear stack 504 to rotate into a known position, independent of starting position.
  • aforementioned non-advancement by the low pawl 501 under large pressure swings is preferred as it allows the address ratchet gear stack to achieve a known reset position (due to a missing tooth on ratchet gear stack 504) while maximizing the mechanical power (proportional to the AC pressure excursion squared) available for valve operations such as incrementally closing a diaphragm valve 313.
  • This preferred embodiment of combining power strokes and digital receiver address ratchet gear stack 504 resetting functionality reduces the number of pressure excursions needed by the communication protocol thus improving network throughput.
  • an evaluation pin 516 is affixed to address ratchet gear stack 504 and extends normal to the plane of Figure 10. This evaluation pin rotates with address ratchet gear stack 504 and is used (described below) to sense whether a specific digital address was received by the digital hydromechanical receiver of the present invention.
  • Figure 11 shows an embodiment of the address ratchet gear stack 504 comprising a high pressure gear 550 and a low pressure gear 551 that rotate around axle 505.
  • Evaluation pin 516 protrudes from the gear stack and rotates counterclockwise in response to the motions of high and low pawls 500 501 and the directionality enforced by catch 506 (not shown in Figure 11).
  • High and low gears 550 551 and evaluation pin 516 are affixed together and in combination make an address ratchet gear stack 504.
  • Sled 451 drives axles 502 503 as in Figure 10, causing pawl tips 500A 501A to trace paths 513 and 515 respectively as described above.
  • the high pressure gear 550 engages with the high pressure pawl 500; similarly the low pressure gear 551 engages with the low pressure pawl 501.
  • Catch 506 is not shown but engages preferentially with high pressure gear 550 which preferentially has a single missing tooth, allowing a double toothed catch 506 to fully constrain stack 504 to only counterclockwise rotation.
  • high pressure gear 550 of Figure 11 is missing a tooth at a common location 552; all high pressure gears 550 in the irrigation network have the same missing tooth 552 in the same location 552 relative to the other elements of the address ratchet gear stack (i.e. low pressure gear 551 and evaluation pin 516).
  • the repeated application of high and low pressure excursions creating large amplitude reciprocating motions at sled 451 and axles 502 503 cause substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 that correctly translate pressure excursions into AC mechanical motions 304 to achieve a known common rotational state where high pressure pawls 500 cannot advance address ratchet gear stacks 504 any further due to the aforementioned commonly missing tooth 552.
  • the low pressure gear 551 does not advance the rotation of the address gear stack 504 in such a large excursion reset cycle, independent of where the low pressure gear 551 is missing teeth or its rotation state.
  • an irrigation appliance can align substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 in substantially all hydraulically connected valves 103 to a known reset state, herein called the starting position, defined by the location of the common missing tooth 552 in the high pressure gears 550 in one or more valves 103.
  • a known reset state herein called the starting position
  • Such alignment to a known position is preferentially independent of the starting rotation of the population of address ratchet gear stacks 504.
  • a limit-seeking clocking mechanism that can be reset from an unknown state to a known state by a series of pressure cycles.
  • Various rotary and linear gear escapements, pawl engagements, pins, levers, guides, etc. can be configured to achieve substantially the same function of achieving a known state after some number of pressure cycles.
  • the present teachings preferentially require that a movable ratchet element (in this embodiment high pressure ratchet gear 550 with a missing tooth 552) and at least one of its drivers (in this embodiment, high pawl 500) is constructed to achieve a known position after some amount of pressure cycling and that many digital hydromechanical receivers (e.g. valves 103) can be synchronized to a similar position state by common shared pressure cycles on the hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • the low pressure gears 551 across a system e.g. in all valves or hydraulically addressable devices attached to a hydraulic network 102 105 110
  • preferentially are constructed to have a common start tooth 553 arranged at such a location as to be potentially engaged by low pawl 501 when the address ratchet gear stack 504 is in the starting position, defined by the missing tooth 552 on the high pressure gear 550.
  • a sequence of pressures from low to middle to low can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 in this case by engaging the low pawl 501, moving the low pawl 501 downward in Figure 11 so that it catches start tooth 553 (but not so far downward that low pawl 501 disengages by way of guide plate 511) and then returns to its original position (up in Figure 11, at low pressure input) advancing the address ratchet gear stack by one tooth position.
  • this low-medium-low start pressure pulse sequence preferentially advances substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 in an entire system that are hydraulically connected and driven by an irrigation appliance 101 commencing an address packet transmission.
  • low pressure gear 551 has additional missing teeth that preferentially encode a binary address that is preferentially unique on a given hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • the existence or non-existence of a tooth encodes one bit of a multibit binary address.
  • a sequence of specific pressure transitions on hydraulic network 102 105 110 can selectively advance a specific address ratchet gear stack 504 ahead of a large population of similar address ratchet gear stacks 504 with different patterns of missing teeth by matching the pressure sequence to the specific pattern of missing teeth on the targeted low pressure gear 551.
  • a selected segment of the pattern of missing teeth on low gear 551 constitute a binary address containing some number of bits, N, that allow the assignment of unique addresses from the 2 L N address space for operations of various addressable elements in a hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • the address space is restricted to preferentially have similar numbers of ones (and therefore similar numbers of zeros) across all low gears 551 in the system.
  • the address space is further restricted to preferentially have the same numbers of ones for all unique addresses in the system.
  • the equal number of ones in all addresses i.e.
  • teeth in the addressing section of low gears 551) implies that only a low gear (and its associated address ratchet gear stack) with teeth in the proper position to advance on a low-medium-low pressure transition will be in the set of low gears that is maximally rotated past the start state after receiving a matching pressure sequence.
  • a high pressure transition in the address decoding operation generally always advances all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504; out-of-order high pressure transitions advance the stack but out-of-order low-medium-low transitions without a corresponding tooth on low gear 551 do not.
  • the number of available unique addresses is reduced from 2 L N; in a preferred embodiment, the number of ones and zeroes in all assigned binary addresses is approximately equal, e.g. for a 21 -bit address, the number of ones can preferentially be 11 (and thus the number of zeroes must be 10).
  • This effective reduction in unique address space can be compensated (if needed) by a slightly longer address sequence (e.g. 3 more bits).
  • each distinct operation of the addressable devices e.g. valves 103 on a given network 102 105 110 have an address ratchet gear stack 504 550 551 with a unique pattern of missing teeth on its low pressure gear 551 e.g. for a valve, an open operation constitutes one unique binary address and a close or close-all operation constitutes a different binary address.
  • FIG. 12 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform 600 for advancing a digital hydromechanical addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • an AM ramp down of high-low cycles 602 gradually reduces in amplitude to adapt the DC-removal mechanism 303 to any pressure and/or mechanical offsets present in the system (e.g. from elevation differences, flow induced pressure losses, changes in mainspring or HAM characteristics over time, etc.) and restores substantially all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 to a known common starting rotation as previously described.
  • a start sequence 603 (low-medium-low pressure) advances substantially all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 one tooth.
  • a skip section 604 advances all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 two teeth to skip past an evaluation section (explained further below) followed by an address sequence 605 that encodes a binary address.
  • the 21 -bit least significant bit (LSB)-first hexadecimal address is 0x0D6356.
  • the address sequence 605 advances potentially some or all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 depending on the received pressure transition, the state of low pawls 501 (engaged or disengaged) and the availability of a tooth on the population of high and low gears 550 551 receiving such
  • a unicast address intended to open a given port 106 of a particular valve 103 on a network 102 105 110 with many ports and valves will maximally advance only that address ratchet gear stack 504 with a low gear 551 with teeth positioned to match the 0x0D6356 binary address, i.e. a unicast receive operation.
  • the pressure sequence waveform may be applied with any speed or frequency.
  • waveforms may be provided at a frequency greater than, less than, or falling between any two of the following values: 0.1 Hz, 0.5 Hz, 0.75 Hz, 1 Hz, 1.5 Hz, 2 Hz, 2.5 Hz, 3 Hz, 4 Hz, 5 Hz, 7 Hz, 10 Hz, 12 Hz, 15 Hz, 20 Hz, 30 Hz, or 60 Hz.
  • the pressure sequence waveform may function in an asynchronous manner with substantial variation (e.g. 100: 1 or higher) in edge-to- edge timing and edge rise/fall rates. In some embodiments, regardless of the speed or frequency at which the pressure sequence waveform is applied, it may function to advance the sequence.
  • the matching address ratchet gear stack 504 will be rotated sufficiently to return to the starting alignment; all other gears (in the case of a unicast address) will be less advanced.
  • a winner advance sequence 606 of low-medium4ow pressures substantially similar to a start pressure sequence 603, advances the matching gear stack 504 one tooth, followed by an evaluation pulse 607 that advances and then senses the position of evaluation pin 516 on all address ratchet stack gears 504 in the system.
  • only one address ratchet gear stack 504 in the system is preferably advanced to the point where the evaluation transition 607 creates a single subsequent operation action (in this example to open a single diaphragm valve via open motion 308 of Figure 6 as previously described).
  • Figure 12 also shows a graph of the position 608 of the high and low pawls 500 501, their respective axles 502 503 and the sled 451 over time during the pressure sequence 600.
  • the mechanical range of sled 451 and pawls 500 501 is limited by clamp limiter plate 458 as previously described; the pawl position of Figure 12 is constrained to be within two thresholds 609 610 set by the shape of clamp limiter plate 458. Once the hydraulic pressure amplitude is less than that set by the clamp limiter plate 458, the pawl position 608 tracks the AC pressure input 600.
  • three groups of position thresholds are implied by the
  • High threshold group 611 contains the position threshold at which the high pressure pawl 500 can advance the high gear 550 against catch 506 and also the position threshold at which the low pressure pawl 501 flips to a disengaged state by guide pin 510 acting against pawl guide plate 511.
  • Mid threshold group 612 contains the position threshold below which the high pressure pawl 500 can grab another tooth and also the position threshold above which the low pressure pawl 501 can grab another tooth.
  • Low threshold group 613 contains the position threshold at which the low pawl 501 is re- engaged by pawl guide plate 511 as well as the position threshold at which the low pawl 501 can advance the low gear 551 one tooth against catch 506.
  • threshold 611 may be split into two separately tunable or settable thresholds, e.g. one position threshold for the high pressure pawl 500 advancing the high gear 550 and a slightly different position threshold for disengaging the low pawl 551.
  • thresholds within each threshold group arise from distinct mechanisms and are subject to different tolerance stack-ups; in general the description of the protocol described in what follows benefits from the simplified concept of a three threshold system with high, mid and low thresholds that refer respectively to the high, mid and low threshold groups 611 612 and 613 as described above.
  • each hydromechanical threshold as depicted in Figure 12 can be considered as independent hysteresis groups.
  • the two thresholds associated with advancing by the high pressure pawl namely grabbing a tooth around e.g. mid pressure (one of the dotted lines in 612) and then crossing a higher threshold (one of the lines in high group 611) to advance the high gear enough so that catch 706 clicks over) can be thought of as a group of two related thresholds.
  • the two thresholds associated with engaging and disengaging the low pawl one of group 611 and one of group 613) can be thought of as a hysteresis threshold pair as well.
  • the advancement of the low gear by the low pawl can benefit from the concept of a hysteresis pair of thresholds, namely one of the thresholds from the low group 613 and one of the thresholds from the mid group 612 as shown in Figure 12.
  • the noise immunity of the system i.e. the hydromechanical decoder’s ability to reject variations in pressure
  • the noise immunity of the system can be expressed in terms of the hysteresis inherent in the mechanical advancement process, which is quantized by the tooth pitch in address ratchet gear stack 504.
  • this alternative conceptualization of hysteretic threshold groups highlights the range of available design choices by decoupling high and low pawl actions (e.g.
  • the low pawl advancement hysteretic thresholds can be adjusted independently from the high pawl advancement hysteretic thresholds).
  • Those skilled in the art will recognize the range of choices of thresholds and grouping available and furthermore that a range of design choices and nomenclatures (e.g.
  • a subset of the addressable device operations can be selected as a group in a multicast operation by a pressure sequence that substitutes one or more ones for zeroes in the transmitted waveform.
  • the addressable device operations e.g. valve 103 operations, such as opening the first and second ports of a four output multiport valve
  • the bitwise-or of the two addresses 0x0D6357
  • the conversion of a low gear 551 advancement to a high gear 550 advancement results in multiple race winners (two in this example) of the mechanical address-matching decode process.
  • similar device operations e.g.
  • “close emitter ports” are assigned from a set of available binary addresses with a common prefix, suffix or shared bits which allow the irrigation appliance to preferentially send multicast or broadcast commands to multiple receivers simultaneously to effect a desired change (e.g. a multicast command of“close all valve ports” that matches all address ratchet gear stacks 504 that correspond to close ratchet gears 317 while not matching any open ratchet gears 306).
  • the address space is intentionally partitioned at manufacturing into subsets that correspond to useful multicast or broadcast command groups.
  • an irrigation appliance 101 can send a series of unicast open operations with pauses between operations to sequentially open various watering flows to effect different watering times, then send a multicast or broadcast“close all” command (multiple address ratchet gear 504 race winners) to stop all the opened flows at once.
  • valves 103 with multiple output ports 106 may share a single address ratchet gear stack 504 for a common“close all ports of this valve” command.
  • Each valve output port 106 in this embodiment has a unique“open port” address ratchet gear stack 504 to provide individually selectable water delivery to a port (i.e. a unicast“open” and shared “close”; a close of an unopened valve does nothing).
  • a multistate hydraulic receiving device can have any mixture of unique and shared operations affecting multiple internal states, each operation having a corresponding address ratchet gear stack 504.
  • irrigation appliance 101 can sequence operations to a group of address ratchet gear stacks 504 potentially across multiple receivers or valve 103 containing serendipitous shared bits in their unique tooth patterns so that a pressure sequence operation (such as“open” or“close”) can be received and shared between multiple targets without utilizing a priori partitioning of the address space.
  • a pressure sequence operation such as“open” or“close”
  • the list of active devices on a given network 102 105 110 is used to aid and expand such serendipitous sharing, i.e. a combined address (with more wild cards) is acceptable as long as it a) covers the desired operation addresses and b) doesn’t cover any of the unwanted operations in the set of devices 103 on a given network 102 105 110.
  • An alternative set of pawl limits, guides and ratchet gears can be implemented that create desired selective advancement of ratchets with alternative pressure sequences (e.g. low-medium-low is a“one”).
  • Such engineering choices can be driven by a multitude of factors, including materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, force requirements, speed, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, available address space, address space partitioning, pressure sequencing rate and tolerance for fluid flow activation delays, testability, network bandwidth, termination 104 cutoff bandwidth and ease of software development among others.
  • the present teachings only require a pressure sequence that substantially clears or resets a population of clocked mechanical elements to preferably known starting states and then a pressure sequence to selectively advance one or more clocked mechanical elements from said population to produce one or more race winners as communicated by an irrigation appliance 101 in the form of pressure modulations.
  • Figure 13 shows a physical realization of an open evaluation mechanism 307 and valve state storage mechanism comprising a valve plunger 309 and a valve toggle 311.
  • an upward force 658 into valve plunger 309 from the diaphragm valve 313 (which is not shown in Figure 13) is created by input hydraulic pressure acting against the valve diaphragm in 313 and/or from the elastomeric properties of the diaphragm in 313.
  • an expanding element e.g. a spring or additional elastomer is added in line with valve plunger 309 to provide the desired vertical compliance.
  • a spring or additional elastomer is added in line with valve plunger 309 to provide the desired vertical compliance.
  • this upward force 658 causes valve toggle 311 to have two stable states
  • valve toggle 311 rotates around a stationary axle 656 and is mechanically linked to valve plunger 309 at pivot 657.
  • Valve plunger 309 is mechanically constrained at the bottom of Figure 13 (constraint not shown) to be held substantially in the same horizontal position but allowed to move freely vertically and to assume a small angle relative to vertical without significant mechanical interference.
  • valve toggle 311 is prevented from further counterclockwise rotation by stops (not shown) and provides a large force (through leverage) down through valve plunger 309 to the diaphragm valve 313.
  • the valve toggle pivot 657 is to the left of the line of forces between diaphragm force 658 and the valve toggle axle 656, creating a clockwise opening torque on valve toggle 311.
  • valve plunger 309 In the open state, valve plunger 309 is positioned appreciably higher than in the closed state, allowing a gap to open in diaphragm valve 313 and fluid to flow from input 300 to output 314.
  • the open state is similarly mechanically constrained by a mechanical stop (not shown) that limits clockwise rotation in this open state.
  • the combination of rotating toggle 311 and its associated rotational stops (not shown), valve plunger 309 and upward force 658 create a bi-stable valve mechanism than has two stable states (open and closed) in normal operating circumstances.
  • an address ratchet gear stack 504 rotates about a stationary axle 505 in response to input pressure sequences applied to valve 103 as previously described.
  • Evaluation pin 516 rotates about axle 505 with gear stack 504 and, in the circumstance wherein a pressure sequence is received that corresponds to the pattern of missing teeth on the gears comprising address ratchet gear stack 504, evaluation pin 516 will be preferentially positioned to be evaluated.
  • Evaluation lever 650 rotates about moving axle 652 which is preferentially mounted to sled 451 and experiences a vertically constrained mechanical motion 304 that substantially corresponds to the AC pressure waveform at the valve’s input 300. Up/down motion 304 of axle 652 provides the motive force for the embodiment of an open evaluation mechanism 307 of Figure 13.
  • Evaluation lever 650 has a small extension or probe
  • Evaluation lever 650 is further connected to evaluation linkage 654 at pivot 653.
  • Evaluation linkage 654 preferentially has a protrusion 660 that can contact a corresponding protrusion 659 on valve toggle 311 under the right circumstances.
  • the valve toggle 311 and valve plunger 309 are preferentially positioned so that the evaluation linkage 654 protrusion 660 is very close to or contacts the valve toggle 311 protrusion 659. If, on an upward motion of sled 451 driven through axle 652 the probe 651 of evaluation lever 650 contacts the evaluation pin 516 from below (i.e. probe 651 is prevented from moving upward by the evaluation pin 516), evaluation lever 650 will experience a clockwise torque, rotate about axle
  • evaluation linkage 652 and generate a horizontal force 655 in evaluation linkage 654.
  • this horizontal motion 655 of evaluation linkage 654 causes evaluation linkage protrusion 660 to push against valve toggle protrusion 659 with sufficient leftward force and movement to flip the state of the valve toggle from closed to open (i.e. rotating valve toggle 311 clockwise enough so that the restorative force 658 can move the valve plunger 309 up and the pivot point 657 maximally left).
  • the rotational position of gear stack 504’ s evaluation pin 516 is sampled by evaluation lever probe 651 and can trigger a bi-stable diaphragm valve mechanism (a bi-stable device comprising valve toggle 311, valve plunger 309 and diaphragm valve 313) to flip to an open state.
  • the force required in the open evaluation mechanism 307 to generate a mechanical trigger 308 in evaluation linkage 654 is substantially smaller than the vertical force generated by the valve plunger 309 and valve toggle 311 by way of mechanical leverage.
  • mechanical gain is achieved between the DC-removed AC logical signaling forces (such as those seen by sled 451 and driven into evaluation linkage 654) and large“power” forces, such as those seen by opening and closing diaphragm valves 313.
  • the size of the valve fluid switching mechanism e.g. 313) would have to be reduced which would restrict flow rates to a level as to be largely impractical for typical landscape installations. With such mechanical gain, the mechanical size of the address decoding and evaluating components can be preferentially reduced and simplified.
  • a manual button plunger 661 can impinge on valve toggle 311 at protrusion 662 when valve toggle 311 is rotated maximally counterclockwise and the valve is in a closed state.
  • a vertical downward motion on button shaft 661 that contacts protrusion 662 will generate a clockwise torque on valve toggle 311 and preferentially flip the state of the bi-stable valve from closed to open.
  • CMOS complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
  • the mechanical state memory function of the present teachings can use any number or combinations of springs, elastomers, gravity, pressure and/or other restoring force and can take many mechanical configurations of levers, gears, slides, pins, axles, etc. with substantially the same functionality of capturing the instantaneous state of a selectively advanced element into a stored mechanical state.
  • Such permutations and combinations of well know mechanical elements to implement the functionality of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
  • FIG 14 shows a closing mechanism and valve state storage mechanisms according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • An address ratchet gear stack 504 including an evaluation pin 516 is selectively advanced by the action of high and low pressure pawls (pawls not shown) that respond to an incoming pressure sequence as previously described. If the pressure sequence matches the sequence of gear teeth encoding a locally unique binary address in address ratchet gear stack 504, the evaluation pin 516 is rotated to a position where a close evaluation lever 650 with a probe tip 651 can contact the evaluation pin 516 when pushed upward by a vertical motion at axle 652.
  • Evaluation lever 650 can rotate about axle 652 which is attached to sled 451 and driven vertically with the AC mechanical signal 304 derived from a DC removal component 303 (not shown). If evaluation pin 516 is aligned so that probe tip 651 can contact it from below and a low pressure transition causes axle 652 to go up in Figure 14, the evaluation lever 650 will experience a clockwise torque and push close pushrod 701 through link pin 700 to the front left as oriented in Figure 14. Close pushrod 701 has a guide pin 702 extending from its far end that, when a close address is properly received, will push into a close catch 703 that rotates counterclockwise about stationary axle 704. A decoded and evaluated close operation will cause close pushrod 701 to contact close catch 703 and cause it to rotate counterclockwise about axle 704 which further causes the catch tooth of 703 to engage with a close ratchet gear 717.
  • close catch 703 when close catch 703 is rotated counterclockwise as described, a pre-compressed torsion spring 705 between close catch 703 and close pawl lever 706 will flip from providing clockwise torque to close pawl lever 706 rotating about stationary axle 707 to providing counterclockwise torque about stationary axle 707.
  • close pawl lever 706 will pull on pawl transfer 709 through linkage joint 708 which further pulls on close pawl link 711 through linkage joint 710.
  • Close pawl link 711 is constrained by a slot to slide and turn around power axle 712.
  • close pawl link 711 If close pawl link 711 is pulled to the right in Figure 14, it will pull close pawl 714 to the right as well through linkage pin 713, causing the power tooth 716 on close pawl 714 to engage with close ratchet gear 717, which is affixed and able to transfer torque to power axle 712. From this action of receiving a pressure sequence that rotates address ratchet gear stack 504 to a position where evaluation pin 516 can exert downward force on an upward moving evaluation lever 650, the series of linkages 700 701 702 cause close catch 703 to rotate counterclockwise and engage with close ratchet gear 717.
  • close catch 703 when close catch 703 is pushed to engage by pushrod 701, its rotation causes a cascade of mechanical reactions through compressed torsion spring 705 (which wants to expand) through close pawl lever 706, close pawl transfer 709 and close pawl link 711 to cause close pawl 714 to also engage with close ratchet gear 717.
  • both close catch 703 and close pawl 714 experience a restoring force supplied by torsion spring 705 that allows them to maintain positive contact with close ratchet gear 717.
  • Close pawl 714 can pivot about moving axle 715 that is preferentially able to trace a curved path shown as a bold dotted line through axle 715 in response to incoming pressure swings.
  • the pawl drive axle 715 is driven by a linkage (not shown) to the rocker arm 402 to receive motion 302 over a wide (full) pressure range and with relatively high force from the hydraulic actuator 301 formed by HAM 407, rocker 402 and mainspring 404 (not shown).
  • a set close impulse 319 on close pushrod 701 as generated by evaluation lever 650 causes two catch and pawl teeth to engage with close ratchet gear 717, that of close catch 703 that pivots about a fixed axle 704 and the tooth 716 of close pawl which pivots about an axle 715 that can be driven by hydraulic induced motion 302.
  • mainspring 404 When both teeth are engaged a low going pressure transition will cause mainspring 404 to contract, forcing close pawl 714 to move downward in Figure 14 thus advancing close ratchet gear 717
  • close catch 703 if engaged, will capture and retain the advancement of close ratchet gear 717.
  • a sequence of high to low pressure transitions received by the hydraulic actuator 301 can cause close ratchet gear 717 to rotate incrementally in a
  • the close evaluation mechanism 318 comprises the evaluation lever 650 and its associated components and actions which creates an impulse on close pushrod 701 to set 319 the state of close bit 320 which comprises the close catch 703 and close pawl 714 and their linkages.
  • Torsion spring 705 provides the expanding restoring force (gain) to stabilize the mechanical close bit 320 as well as provide a force for pawl 714 and catch 703 to maintain positive contact with close ratchet gear 717 when engaged.
  • This mechanical close bit 320 so formed has two stable states restored by the expansion of torsion spring 705 herein called engaged and disengaged.
  • the engaged state is defined as the close bit 320 state where both close catch 703 and close pawl 714 are engaged with close ratchet gear 717.
  • the disengaged state is defined as the state where neither close catch 703 nor close pawl 714 are engaged with close ratchet gear 717.
  • the disengaged state of close bit 320 is achieved by applying a clockwise torque to close catch 703, causing it to rotate about fixed axle 704 and flip the direction of the torque of torsion spring 705 on close pawl lever 706 to a clockwise direction which in turn pushes links 709 and 711 to disengage close pawl 714 from close ratchet gear 717.
  • the dimensions of the engaging teeth of 703 and 714 to respective fixed axles 704 and 715 as well as the arm lengths from fixed axles 704 and 715 to torsion spring 705 and mechanical limits to such motions are configured so that a set 319 or reset 326 action on close catch 703 will drive torsion spring 705 to flip the direction of the restorative torque it provides to 703 and 714 so that they maintain synchronization (i.e. either both engaged or both disengaged).
  • one or both teeth of 703 and/or 714 may be temporarily caught due to the rake of the ratchet gear 717 and catch/pawl teeth; in a preferred embodiment, the geometry of pawls, levers, linkages, limits and torsion spring and evaluation pressure transition direction (e.g. high to low) are chosen so that close catch 703 can easily disengage (upon evaluation) and/or close pawl 714 can disengage slightly later (after evaluation, on a low to high transition) when mechanically released to resolve such temporary impediments to a fully disengaged state.
  • the geometry of pawls, levers, linkages, limits and torsion spring and evaluation pressure transition direction e.g. high to low
  • idler gear 719 turns clockwise and drives crank gear 721 counterclockwise about stationary axle 656 which is preferentially shared with one or more valve toggles 311 which drive one or more valve plungers 309 through one or more pivots 657 to control the open and close state of one or more diaphragm valves 313 at the bottom of plunger(s) 309 (diaphragm valve(s) not shown).
  • valve toggle 311 is maximally rotated clockwise and experiences a restorative clockwise torque from the upward force 658 of the input hydraulic pressure acting on the diaphragm valve 313 (not shown).
  • crank gear 721 In the case where the close bit 320 is set and consequently close catch 703, close pawl 714 and ratchet gear 717 are engaged, pressure cycling at hydraulic input 300 will cause crank gear 721 to turn incrementally counterclockwise around axle 656 at each downward pressure transition and push close bar 722 into a protrusion 723 on open valve toggle(s) 311.
  • close bar 722 rotates in an arc around axle 656 to transfer rotary power from crank gear 721 to one or more open valve toggle(s) 311.
  • pressure cycling i.e.
  • the crank gear 721 will be incrementally turned counterclockwise at each high to low pressure transition and thus, through the rotation of close bar 722 working against valve toggle protrusion 723 will force 323B all open valve toggles 311 counterclockwise as well, forcing open valve plunger(s) 309 incrementally downward in Figure 14 and hence closing one or more open diaphragm valve(s) 313.
  • the pressure transition responsible for incrementally closing diaphragm valves 313 is chosen to be a high to low pressure transition so that the diaphragm counter force 658 that competes with the crank gear 721 and valve toggle 311 closing force is minimized (diaphragm restorative force 658 is approximately proportional to input pressure).
  • crank bracket 724 is preferentially affixed to axle 656 and close bar 722 and rotates about fixed axle 656 with close bar 722.
  • a compressed torsion spring 725 is arranged to provide an expansive force from crank bracket 724 to a reset toggle 726 which rotates about axle 656.
  • Fixed mechanical stops (not shown) limit the rotation range of reset toggle 726, but within the available range of rotation, reset toggle 726 can rotate freely around axle 656.
  • Reset toggle 726 is further attached to reset pushrod 728 through joint 727 and has a guide pin 729 extending from the far end that passes through an opening in close catch 703.
  • the reset toggle 726, torsion spring 725 and crank bracket 724 are configured so that reset toggle 726 will flip to an opposing rotation state when crank bracket 724 approaches either of its extrema.
  • close catch 703 and close pawl 714 are engaged and the crank gear 721 is beginning to turn close bar 722
  • close bracket 724 and any open valve toggles 311 counterclockwise to start to close valves preferentially reset toggle 726 is in a maximally counterclockwise position about axle 656.
  • the open diaphragm valves 313 are closed by the action of plunger(s) 309 and toggles 311 turned by crank gear 721
  • valve plunger(s) 309 and valve toggle(s) 311 have flipped into closed state(s)
  • the crank bracket 724 will reach a rotation angle wherein the reset toggle 726 will be forced by the expansive action of torsion spring 725 to flip to its maximally clockwise position, pushing down on reset pushrod 728 which contacts close catch 703 and thus imparting a clockwise torque about axle 704.
  • the close catch 703 tooth is rotated away from close ratchet gear 717 and through the previously discussed linkages will result in the subsequent disengagement of both close catch 703 and close pawl 714.
  • crank gear 721, close bar 722 and crank bracket 724 are at a maximal counterclockwise rotation, but otherwise relatively free to rotate clockwise.
  • torsion spring 725 keeps crank gear 721, close bar 722 and crank bracket 724 against a mechanical stop (not shown).
  • any subsequent decode and opening of any valve(s) triggered by at least one open link 654 pushing 308 into an associated valve toggle 311 will preferentially cause restorative force 658 from diaphragm valves 313 (driven by input hydraulic pressure) to apply a strong clockwise torque 323 A to valve toggle 311 about axle 656 which, through protrusion 723, will apply a strong clockwise torque to close bar 722, crank gear 721 and crank bracket 724 and preferentially overcome the small restorative force presented by compressed torsion spring 725 to quickly turn the close crank mechanism 322 (including 721 722 724) to its maximally clockwise state about axle 656, turning idler gear 719 counterclockwise and the power axle 712 (and its affixed gears 717 718) clockwise (in this disengaged state they are free to spin).
  • reset toggle 726 is consequently and preferentially flipped to its maximally counterclockwise state about axle 656, moving reset pushrod 728 upward and enabling close catch 703 (and close pawl 714 through linkages and torsion spring 705, forming close bit 320) to be set to an engaged state by any subsequent positive evaluation by 650 651 of a close address ratchet gear stack 504 rotation.
  • the reset force 324 provided into close catch 703 by torsion spring 725 acting through reset toggle 726 on reset pushrod 728 is stronger than the restorative force of the close bit 320 provided by compressed torsion spring 705, i.e. the reset 324 can override the state of the close bit 320.
  • a link 329 between the hydraulic actuator rocker 402 and the close bit 320 may be implemented using a simple lever and/or pushrod (not shown in Figure 14) to impart a counterclockwise torque on close catch 703 in the orientation of Figure 14 when the input pressure at 300 drops below a threshold.
  • This imparted counterclockwise torque at low input pressure will preferentially be sufficient to cause the close catch 703 and close pawl 714 to engage with close ratchet gear 717 as previously described (setting close bit 320) if input pressure drops below this absolute threshold (e.g. 5PSI).
  • setting the close bit 320 at very low pressures is useful as a safety mechanism to resolve accidental
  • irrigation appliance 101 can cycle pressure, perhaps at special amplitudes and/or frequencies, to close all open valves and bring the network 102 105 110 to a state wherein signal integrity and pressurization required for communication can be restored.
  • valve close mechanism embodied by the present teachings are that it can be engaged by manual button or a hydraulic address decode and evaluation, that it can be disengaged by a self-clearing mechanism and that when disengaged it presents a very low load on the hydraulic actuator.
  • Other configurations, permutations and combinations that considerably provide similar functionality are considered within the scope of and enabled by the present teachings.
  • Figure 15 shows an embodiment of a multiport diaphragm valve 314 construction with a representative cross-sectional view.
  • a valve base 401 comprising a manifold top 750 and manifold bottom 751 are shown disassembled and separated for clarity at the top of Figure 15. Assembled, manifold top 750 and manifold bottom 751 are tightly compressed with an elastomer diaphragm 752 that seals the manifold top 750 and manifold bottom 751 to form, in the shown example, four diaphragm valve chambers 757 758 759 760. Valve plungers 309 are constrained laterally by conduits 753 and move substantially vertically as described previously to open and close diaphragm valves 313. Valve frame 400 is affixed to manifold top 750.
  • a small hydraulic connection 754 passes input pressure through to a hydraulic actuator 301 407 (not shown in Figure 15).
  • a set of input orifices 755 with substantially round protrusions 756 are connected to hydraulic input 300.
  • four elastomer spheres 761 are affixed to the bottoms of valve plungers 309 to provide additional elastic response in the aforementioned restorative force 658.
  • Such restorative force can be achieved many ways using springs and/or molded single piece elastomer diaphragms, among others known in the art.
  • the multiport diaphragm valve of Figure 15 controls flows between a common input pressure source 755 300 and any of four output ports 757 758 759 760 in any combination depending on the vertical position of the four corresponding valve plungers 309. If a valve plunger 309 is strongly forced downward in Figure 15, the corresponding elastomer sphere 761 and portion of elastomer diaphragm 752 are compressed against the corresponding input orifice 756, sealing off flow from hydraulic input 755 300 to a given diaphragm valve output, e.g. 760.
  • valve plungers 309 Those skilled in the art will recognize the multitude of possible design configurations for forming a bank of diaphragm valves that can be mechanically controlled by valve plungers 309.
  • DFMA design for manufacture and assembly
  • FIG. 16 shows a representative physical embodiment of a valve core and valve base of the present invention.
  • Valve core 800 preferentially contains one or more hydromechanical digital receiver(s) according to the present teachings that enable hydraulic pressure signals to control one or more valve plungers 309.
  • Valve core 800 further comprises one or more open buttons 315 and a close button 325.
  • a selected open button 315 can exert a torque on a given valve toggle 311 (not shown in Figure 16, but within valve core 800) to raise a valve plunger 309 and open a corresponding diaphragm valve 313.
  • close button 325 preferentially sets 329 close bit 320 using a pushrod and/or lever (not shown) and additionally provides motive force (e.g.
  • Valve core 800 fits into valve base 801 which is preferentially connected to a hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • Valve core 800 has, at its base, an elastomer diaphragm 802 that performs a function substantially similar to that of elastomer diaphragm 752 previously described.
  • valve core 800 and valve base 801 sandwich valve diaphragm 802 tightly and create, similar to the construction of Figure 15, a set of diaphragm valve chambers (not shown in Figure 16) at the bottom of valve base 801.
  • Valve core 800 is preferentially held in place by fasteners (not shown) using valve core holes 805 in protrusions 803 that, when assembled, pull valve core 800 down toward ledges 804 as said fasteners are tightened into valve base holes 806 one of which is shown in the cutaway view on the right of Figure 16.
  • the keyed shape of valve core 800 and valve base ledges 804 as well as alignment tabs 807 at the bottom of valve core 800 and cutouts 808 in the ledges 804 of valve base 801 preferentially enforce an unambiguous assembly orientation of valve core 800 into valve base 801.
  • valve base 801 contains a self-sealing valve (not shown) that isolates network pressure 102 105 110 in the case where a valve core 800 is removed.
  • a spring- loaded plunger within valve base 801 (not shown) is displaced vertically when valve core 800 is installed into valve base 801, permitting flow between network 102 105 110, valve outputs 314 106 and hydraulic actuator 301.
  • valve cores 800 can be removed from and reinstalled into valve bases 801 when the network 102 105 110 is under pressure with little leakage or flow interruption which can simplify installation and maintenance activities.
  • valve base 801 integrates fixed or adjustable pressure regulators on valve outputs 314 to limit the transmission of pressure variations from input 300 to output(s)
  • valve base 801 integrates fixed or adjustable flow regulators on valve outputs 314 to limit the transmission of pressure variations from input 300 to output(s) 314 and/or to isolate the output emitters 107 108 109 from the hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • valve base 801 integrates one or more debris filters on valve inputs 300 and/or valve outputs 314 to prevent the propagation of debris within the hydraulic network 102 105 110, valves 103, terminations 104, output ports 106, emitters 107 108 109 and/or appliance 101
  • valve base embodiment of Figure 16 further comprises two hydraulic network 102 105 110 connections 809 that act as a pass through and connection to network 102 105 110 hydraulic pressure.
  • a valve 103 is at the end of a spur 105 or branch 110
  • one of ports 809 can be plugged.
  • quick connect fittings 810 are utilized to enable the assembly and disassembly of valve base 801 with network pipe 012 105 110 to be accomplished without tools (i.e. hand tightened).
  • Valve base 801 in the embodiment shown in Figure 16 further comprises four diaphragm valve outputs 106 314 811 that are preferentially controlled by the hydromechanical receiver of the present invention.
  • valve base 801 In this embodiment, similar quick connect fittings 812 are used to allow rapid and tool-less assembly and disassembly of valve base 801 with output pipes 106.
  • input hydraulic pipe into network ports 809 is visually distinguishable from diaphragm output pipe from ports 811 to minimize installation mistakes. Such distinguishing can be accomplished with different colors, sizes, textures, printed markings or combinations thereof, among other options.
  • the fluid routing within valve base 801 between network ports 809 presents a negligible flow resistance and thus negligible perturbations to the transmission line impedance when connected to a hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • one or more barcodes 813 are affixed to the valve core 800.
  • barcode 813 contains information and/or a unique digital identifier that allows, potentially in conjunction with a database, cloud storage and/or service, table, algorithm, app, decompression and/or decryption means, for a scanning device to determine key features, parameters and/or operating history of a particular valve core 800, including but not limited to the digital addresses of the various operations that can be decoded by that particular valve core 800, e.g. the addresses corresponding to pressure sequences required to activate one or more particular address ratchet gear stacks 504 contained within valve core 800 to affect opening or closing of output diaphragm valve ports 811 314.
  • Barcode 813 can be affixed to the top of valve core 800 to facilitate scanning while valve core 800 is inside valve base 801 and/or to the side of valve core 800 to serve as a redundant and/or more protected duplicate.
  • barcode 813 can be replaced by or augmented with a near field communications (NFC) or RFID tag which can be electronically scanned.
  • NFC near field communications
  • Many such identifying means are well known in the art; such means may include printing, engraving, laser or chemical etching and may take many human- and/or machine-readable forms (symbols, barcodes, graphics, colored patches, etc.); the present invention only requires some identifying means that partially or wholly represents either directly or indirectly (e.g. through a lookup table) information about the pressure sequence required to control a given device.
  • valve core 800 can be removed to perform maintenance, e.g. replacing diaphragm 802 and/or cleaning a debris filter (not shown).
  • one or more adjustable output port pressure regulators (not shown) in valve base 801 can be adjusted and/or maintained (e.g. with a screwdriver) when valve core 800 is removed from valve base 801.
  • a string of emitter valves may benefit from outputs configured on just one side of a rectangular housing or a cylindrical housing with fewer or greater number of outputs or button positions that encourage gravity drainage of standing water.
  • levers or knobs may be preferable to buttons for manual activation or deactivation of flows; such mechanical permutations and configurations are well known design variations in the art and are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 through 16 describe a particular embodiment of a valve 103 that utilizes at its core a diaphragm valve 313 that is sized to provide practical flow rates to drive irrigation sprinklers or drip emitters to one or more target watering zones.
  • a valve 103 that utilizes at its core a diaphragm valve 313 that is sized to provide practical flow rates to drive irrigation sprinklers or drip emitters to one or more target watering zones.
  • valve construction e.g. diaphragm valve vs. ball valve
  • torque requirements e.g. diaphragm valve vs. ball valve
  • signaling speed e.g. diaphragm valve vs. ball valve
  • FIG. 17 shows a protocol and operational flow chart for selectively addressing and operating hydraulic valves on an irrigation network according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • an irrigation appliance 101 performs a boot sequence comprising self-checks, network checks, pressure modulations, soundings, flow measurements, flushes, etc.
  • an AM modulated pressure sequence (e.g. 602) is transmitted that ramps down the AC amplitude of the pressure modulation over one or more cycles. If elevation or flow related static pressure changes are present (e.g. an open sprinkler causes a pressure drop over a long distance of network pipe 102 105 110), the adaptation operation 851 will re-center the DC-removal mechanism 303 so that subsequent smaller amplitude pressure modulations will be interpreted correctly by the hydromechanical valve decoder of the present invention.
  • elevation or flow related static pressure changes e.g. an open sprinkler causes a pressure drop over a long distance of network pipe 102 105 110
  • a start sequence (e.g. 603) is first transmitted by irrigation appliance 101 followed by a sequence (e.g. 604) designed to clock all unevaluated address ratchet gear stacks 504 past the point at which their respective evaluation pins 516 can contact evaluation mechanisms 851. Because of these transmissions, substantially all unevaluated address gear stacks are in the same state of post-start advancement (i.e. the race has been started equally for all address ratchet gear stacks 504).
  • a pressure sequence (e.g. 605) is transmitted by irrigation appliance 101 that, if intended, matches the tooth pattern on one or more hydraulically connected address ratchet gear stacks 504 on hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • a pressure sequence e.g. 605
  • irrigation appliance 101 that, if intended, matches the tooth pattern on one or more hydraulically connected address ratchet gear stacks 504 on hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • one or more address ratchet gear stacks 504 in the hydraulically connected network 102 105 110 have been selectively rotated so that their respective evaluation pins 516 are preferentially ahead of all non-selected address ratchet gear stacks' 504 evaluation pins 516 in the hydraulically connected network 102 105 110.
  • an evaluation sequence is transmitted by irrigation appliance 101 comprising a winner advance sequence (e.g. 606) which advances preferentially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 that are selected and have won the advancement race as well as an evaluation sequence (e.g. 607) which has the effect of driving evaluation lever 650 651 to contact the winning address ratchet gear stack 504 evaluation pins 516, created a mechanical impulse that can drive an operation at a selected device (e.g. open a diaphragm valve 313 or set a close bit 320).
  • the evaluation pulse pressure sequence 854 607 can exceed the normal signaling pressure range to generate more motive force to drive such operations.
  • step 854 For diaphragm opening operations, the evaluation sequence of step 854 directly opens one or more valves and starts water flowing to one or more valve outputs 106. The increased flow can induce new pressure drops in the hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • flowchart pathway 855 can be chosen wherein the irrigation appliance returns to step 851 and sends a next ramp down AM modulated pressure cycle sequence (e.g. 602) which has the effects of first re-establishing a new DC-removal operating point (capturing flow related pressure changes) and second advancing substantially all non-winning address ratchet gear stacks 504 to the common starting position.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 monitors network flow after evaluation step 854 for valve opening operations (or more generally, flow changing operations).
  • a stabilization time (not shown) may be necessary to allow the output network 106 and emitters 107 to achieve a stable and measurable flow (e.g. if they are voiding air pockets or require some initial flow to popup and start rotating consistently).
  • a long integration time may be necessary to achieve sufficient flow measurement accuracy. Irrigation appliance 101 can preferentially compare the measured flow, startup characteristics and the load’s response to dynamic changes (e.g.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 can sense whether the transmitted operation was successfully executed, and consider this an acknowledgement (or, if failing, a non-acknowledgement) from a communication protocol perspective (ACK/NACK) (e.g., an acknowledgment of message receipt/ a negative
  • acknowledgment indicating message receipt failure which can further trigger additional adaptive actions (e.g. retries, retries with changes to signal amplitudes, levels, frequencies, etc.) to improve communication reliability as is well known in the art.
  • additional adaptive actions e.g. retries, retries with changes to signal amplitudes, levels, frequencies, etc.
  • the ramp down 851 cycle count (e.g. in 602) can be shorter than a complete rotation of address ratchet gear stack 504 while still rotating all non-winning address ratchet gear stacks 504 (i.e. race losers) to the known starting position.
  • non-winning address ratchet gear stacks 504 i.e. race losers
  • race losers can possibly be meaningful address race winners on the next valve open address operation; any winners from prior races have already been opened and a second open operation, even accidental and mistimed, will have no effect on winners or losers in this embodiment.
  • certain address ratchet gear stacks 504 don’t care about receiving subsequent packets e.g.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 may shorten the adaptive cycle count in step 851 to fewer than a complete rotation of address ratchet gear stacks 504 since race losers will often see at least some transitions that will advance (preferentially around half of the sequence length) all address ratchet gear stacks 504.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 may shorten the adaptive cycle count in step 851 to fewer than a complete rotation of address ratchet gear stacks 504 since race losers will often see at least some transitions that will advance (preferentially around half of the sequence length) all address ratchet gear stacks 504.
  • ACK/NACK result from prior valve operations may influence the length of the adaptive cycle count in step 851, i.e. if a valve open operation fails (e.g. flow didn’t increase correctly) a longer adaptive cycle count will be used in 851 prior to a retry to that same valve, perhaps with different timing and/or pressure levels.
  • Such communication pass/fail information can be stored in irrigation appliance 101 or pushed to a cloud service or storage for further use improving the system and product performance.
  • the irrigation appliance can immediately schedule another communication shown in pathway 855, which returns to adaptive cycle step 851 to re-establish a new DC-removal operating point if required.
  • pathway 856 can lead to step 857 wherein the irrigation appliance runs and preferentially monitors a flow for an interval or for a volume.
  • the irrigation appliance accounts for the finite communication time required to affect a next valve open or close command when scheduling communications and in a further embodiment measures the actual time or flow required to successfully start and end irrigation to one or more valve outputs 106, through flow sensors or other means (e.g. a timer).
  • the irrigation appliance 101 can keep a detailed account of valve 103 timing and flows (including integrated flow, i.e. volume) to each output zone 106 to inform e.g. a soil moisture model or evapotranspiration (ET) model for weather-aware smart irrigation and/or consumption monitoring, among other uses.
  • a soil moisture model or evapotranspiration (ET) model for weather-aware smart irrigation and/or consumption monitoring, among other uses.
  • the irrigation appliance in step 857 with at least one open valve the irrigation appliance can take a pathway 858 back to step 851 in preparation for the next address operation (e.g. open or close one or more valve outputs 106).
  • the target diaphragm valve of Figure 6 will have a set close bit 320 and at least one open valve port 314 106. In this situation, additional hydraulic cycles are needed as previously described to implement the valve closing operation by providing power to the close crank mechanism 322 of Figure 6. Pathway 859 in this case leads to power cycle step 860 wherein the irrigation appliance 101 preferentially sends high amplitude cycles that can efficiently close diaphragm valves 313 (or more generally, implement the received state change(s)).
  • the hydromechanical receiver of the present invention can have a low energy state change (e.g.
  • a hydromechanically addressable ball valve may require power cycles 860 to both open and close (i.e. a low energy open bit (not shown) may be set by evaluation 854 and require power cycles in 860 to take effect, i.e. to turn the ball valve open).
  • Such low amplitude addressing, selection and bit-setting followed by high power mechanical completion can be utilized to implement many features on a hydromechanical irrigation network, such as adjusting termination 104 pressure remotely, implementing spray pattern adjustments (directional angles and radius), turning hose bibs on, off or partway (e.g. with ball valves), etc.
  • spray pattern adjustments directional angles and radius
  • turning hose bibs on, off or partway e.g. with ball valves
  • valves 103 comprise multiple output ports 106 that are individually addressable and a shared close mechanism and address that can close any open output ports 106. Since diaphragm valves 313 are directly opened by the evaluation step 854, in this embodiment open packets can be considerably shorter and with fewer cycles than close packets, which require some number of power cycles 860 to take effect. In a preferred operation mode, valves ports 106 are opened in groups, e.g.
  • the hydraulic modulation created by irrigation appliance can be optimized to achieve many desirable goals, for example minimizing communication overhead, reducing wear on components, minimizing noise, minimizing waste, minimizing energy consumption, minimizing pump 216 on/off cycling, minimizing tank 212 219 cost and size, improving flow rate measurement precision, minimizing modulation with running flows (modulation may be visible in spray patterns), etc.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 if, after closing one or more valve outputs 106, the irrigation appliance 101 requires additional open runtime for open valves 103, it can take pathway 862 back to monitoring/measuring flow step 857.
  • the irrigation appliance if the irrigation appliance desires to send another communication packet, it can exit power cycle step 860 through pathway 861 to return to sending ramp down cycles in step 851 so that valves 103 can re-evaluate their DC-removal operating position and capture any pressure changes that may have resulted from the state changes of any valves 103 on the network 102 105 110, for example.
  • the irrigation appliance can exit power cycle step 860 through pathway 863 to enter a shutdown process 864 which can, among other things, depressurize the network 102 105 110 and otherwise prepare the system of Figure 1 for inactivity, e.g. by shutting bypass, turning off pumps, entering a low power state.
  • a designated valve 103 may be opened for the purposes of draining the network 102 105 110 in which case pathway 866 can be taken directly from an evaluation step 854 (which e.g. opened a valve output port 106) to shutdown step 864.
  • a valve port 106 may be opened in step 854 and then run for a scheduled time and/or volume in step 857, then exit to shutdown 864 via pathway 865.
  • one or more designated valves 103 can have open ports to aid the depressurization of the network 102 105 110 at shutdown 864, minimizing drainage at irrigation appliance 101 through drain valve 213, for example.
  • Exit state 864 can return to entry state 850 when activated by a user, timer, sensor, etc. through pathway 867.
  • the startup process 850 can send a“close all” multicast address during its initialization of the network.
  • valves 103 are equipped with a low pressure sensing mechanism that can set 329 close bit 320 and thus only require power cycling from irrigation appliance 101 during boot sequence 850 to achieve a network state wherein substantially all well-behaved valves 103 are closed during step 850.
  • irrigation appliance 101 may implement additional checks and signaling (not shown) such as reducing the slew rate when checking or mitigating for entrapped air, performing detailed leak analysis, executing“all close” broadcast or multicast commands.
  • a discrete set or analog state may be
  • a ball valve can be partially opened and left in that state using a shortened or paused sequence of power pressure cycles to control the watering pattern of one or more sprinkler heads.
  • One or more valves 103 may be partially closed to simplify winterization blow out using compressed air.
  • a special operation corresponding to another independently addressable ratchet gear stack 504 can encode an operation such as“half open” or“all open” to facilitate such winterization or other desired operation.
  • a pressure sequenced command corresponding to a selectively advanced address ratchet gear 504 may implement a desired sequence of events at a valve, such as advancing a secondary mechanism.
  • a sector-by-sector rotary sprinkler head may be constructed using the present teachings that, upon receipt of an“advance spray angle” command, rotates a spray head by some number of degrees to a new position.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 can modulate the supplied pressure to affect the irrigation radius of such a sector-by-sector sprinkler head and the irrigation dwell time per sector (i.e.
  • FIG. 18 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention comprising a fluid source 100, an irrigation appliance 101, a pipe network 102 105, one or more valves 103, one or more terminations 104, one or more switched valve outputs 106 and one or more emitters 107 as in Figure 1.
  • irrigation appliance 101 connects over a wireless interface 908 to a Wi-Fi access point 909 which is connected 910 to cloud service(s) 912 which provide account management, storage,
  • one or more smartphones 902 are also connected via Wi-Fi 908 and/or mobile radios 911 so that an application on one or more smartphone(s) 902 can communicate, coordinate, control and interface with the cloud service(s) 912 and irrigation appliance 101 via Wi-Fi 908 and/or cellular 911 connection.
  • smartphone 902 has an embedded camera 903, an optional embedded NFC reader 904 and other common subsystems (not shown) such as global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth and 9-axis sensors.
  • GPS global positioning system
  • Bluetooth 9-axis sensors
  • smartphone camera 903 can be used to take photos 905 of plants 901 and general landscape locations and/or valve core barcodes 813 (or similar identifying marks, not shown) of various system components including irrigation appliance 101, valve cores 800, valve bases 801 and termination(s) 104 to aid in their identification, commission, configuration, reporting, control, operation,
  • NFC reader 904 can be used to onboard, configure, identify, control, operate, commission, decommission, index, search, lookup system components such as the irrigation appliance 101, valves 103, terminations 104, emitters 107, among other things.
  • specific connectivity choices e.g. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • a tablet computer, augmented reality (AR) glasses or PC could be substituted for smartphone 902 to achieve substantially similar functionality; such variants including device type, peripherals, connectivity options, cloud service partitioning and architecture are well known in the art and the specificity of the architecture detailed in Figure 18 is meant as an illustration of a potential configuration and not a limitation of the present teachings.
  • AR augmented reality
  • FIG 19 shows a representative onboarding flow chart for installing, operating and amending an irrigation system as in Figure 18 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • an installer or user installs 950 an app 950 on a smartphone 902, initializes an account for the installation then installs and hooks up services (such as a water source and electrical power source) to an irrigation appliance 101.
  • the installer onboards irrigation appliance 101 in step 951 to communicate 908 with Wi-Fi access point 909 and cloud service(s) 912, associating a site and irrigation appliance 101 with the established cloud account.
  • irrigation appliance 101 can take many forms using, among other things, a keyboard and/or display, a smartphone app, a Bluetooth connection 907, a NFC tag and reader 904, a barcode and camera 903, a web interface from a PC (not shown) and/or a wired interface such as USB, Ethernet, a memory card or a thumb drive; the present teachings are not sensitive to a particular choice of connection setup.
  • irrigation appliance 101 can communicate with and be managed by either or both of smartphone 902 and/or cloud service(s) 912.
  • step 952 of this embodiment substantially all of the prospective valve cores 800 that could be installed at a site are scanned by smartphone 902 using its camera 903 and barcodes on valves 813 and/or its NFC reader 903 and NFC tags on valve cores (not shown).
  • batch scanning initializes the set of available devices for a given installation.
  • any of the scanned identifiers e.g. barcode 813 or NFC
  • an alert on smartphone 902 indicates to the installer to set aside that particular valve to prevent the installation of duplicate addresses on this hydraulic network.
  • the addresses encoded by address ratchet gears 504 are substantially randomized at manufacturing and a long enough address length (e.g. 21 bits) is chosen so that the probability of such an address collision at installation is manageably small (e.g. less than a one percent chance of any given set of valves experiencing a collision at step 952 for a reasonably sized site, e.g. a site with 100 uniquely addressable valve outputs).
  • the hydraulic network pipes 102 105 110, devices 103 104 and output pipes 106 are installed 953.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 is commanded by smartphone 902 to pressurize the network and an automated and/or visual check of the pressurized network is performed 954.
  • manual controls of valves 103 and terminations 104 are used to pressurize, test and flush each branch and output port 106 of the hydraulic network 102 105 110.
  • irrigation appliance 101 pressurizes network 102 105 110 using a pressure tank 212 219 isolated from input sources and monitors holding pressure with pressure sensor 225 or alternatively reports flow rate using sensors and/or calculations and transmits such real-time pressure and flow information to smartphone 902 over Wi-Fi or cellular connections 908 911 so that an installer can monitor system pressure through the app while manually configuring and flushing valves 103 and termination(s) 104 in the field.
  • debris is flushed from hydraulic network 102 105 110 and devices 103 104 while connectivity and leaks are identified before trenches are substantially backfilled.
  • sequencings e.g. partial network pressurization, test by segment, install popup bodies for flush and spray heads after flush, flush- as-you-go, scan after install, etc.
  • valve output 106 As is common in the industry, many plants are often installed after backfill and further hardscape installation (not shown in Figure 19).
  • an installer or user associates each valve output 106 in step 955 with a plant, region, photo, location, place, group and/or name by interacting with the smartphone app 902.
  • an installer or user first scans valve 103 (using a barcode 813 or NFC tag, for example) then takes a photo with smartphone app 902 of the plant or region that is associated with that output’s emitter 107 (e.g. a tree, a shrub, a flower pot, a corner of the lawn, etc.).
  • smartphone app 902 records the phone and/or zone’s position (via GPS and inertial sensors), orientation (via compass, computer vision, and/or 9-axis sensor information, among others), barcode 813 or NFC ID and other optional user input (e.g. drip vs. spray, estimated flow rate, pressure requirements, manufacturer model number) to build a map and model of the emitter placement to aid later recall, grouping, searching and indexing.
  • This association between valve output 106 e.g. the third output of a four output valve 103
  • valve outputs 106 to plants (e.g. 901) and/or zone locations is established within smartphone 902, cloud service(s) 912 and/or irrigation appliance 101 to enable scheduling, tuning, control, monitoring, etc. of the irrigation system and/or sending alerts, updates and statistics to installers, users, maintainers, utilities, etc. as required.
  • a valve output 106 has been associated with a plant 901 or other endpoint as in step 955, in an embodiment of the invention the plant, local environmental, horticultural and irrigation parameters are entered into smartphone app 902.
  • an installer/user can review/edit/update the stored association data by accessing cloud service(s)
  • irrigation appliance 101 databases via browser to define and adjust the watering requirements for the associated plants, regions, locations or groups.
  • parameters can include plant species, drought classification, soil type, microclimate environmental parameters (such as local wind, sunlight, drainage, slope, shade, temperature, rainfall coverage, etc.), growth targets, maintenance targets, etc. or alternatively direct precipitation equivalents (e.g. inches/week) so that a reasonable watering plan can be estimated by irrigation appliance 101 and/or cloud service(s) 912 for that valve output 106 and endpoint (e.g. plant 901).
  • the installer or user instructs (via smartphone 902 app, web interface, etc.) the irrigation appliance 101 to start a network discovery and diagnostic process in step 957.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 has a list of new valve 103 addresses from device scans (step 952) and further knows which outputs 106 of valves 103 are configured with emitters 107 (as opposed to capped closed or left open) as well as potentially the type of emitter (drip, spray heads, etc.) from which it can potentially estimate expected flow rates.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 generates a series of test transmissions, communicated in a manner substantially described in Figure 17, to search for and validate the existence and performance of the scanned valves 103 and generates a list of any exceptions for an installer to review and/or mitigate.
  • the appliance can learn which valves 103 are on which networks 102 105 110.
  • irrigation appliance 101 can determine network quality and parameters (such as total length) by measuring flows, pressure holding capability, termination 104 impedance, termination 104 pre-charge pressure, reflections from network discontinuities (e.g. kinks in pipe 102 105 110), network frequency response, etc.
  • a pressure transient generated by a diaphragm valve 103 opening can be used to determine the hydraulic distance to the valve 103 by carefully monitoring the timing of the received return pressure transient at the irrigation appliance 101.
  • a diagnostic report is generated for an installer and/or user after a discovery operation 957 which provides an inventory and status of all discovered network elements 103 104 and any potentially missing or malfunctioning devices and instructions on how to mitigate any inconsistencies or errors.
  • step 958 encompasses the runtime operation of the irrigation network; on-demand watering or pressurization (e.g. triggered by smartphone app 902 or web interface, for manual operation of valves or hydraulic activation of devices) as well as water balance ET calculations and weather-aware irrigation scheduling are controlled and adjusted by smartphone 902, cloud service(s) 912 and irrigation appliance 101.
  • the irrigation appliance 101 can do runtime, periodic and/or on-demand diagnostic tests and network, valve and/or emitter monitoring (e.g.
  • irrigation appliance 101 can trigger alerts and
  • fault isolation can be performed at the irrigation appliance 101 in certain situations, e.g. a sprinkler head blowout causes the irrigation appliance 101 to avoid a particular valve output 106 and/or a network rupture causes the irrigation appliance 101 to only schedule other networks 102 105 110.
  • a network pipe blowout triggers a smartphone 902 notification and the automatic isolation of a network 102 105 110 until repairs can be made by an installer or user.
  • valve cores are mistakenly swapped between two networks) and update the associations of valves 103 and networks 102 105 110 as well as incorporate any load changes (e.g. a 1 GPH drip emitter replaced with a 10 GPH string of drip emitters) indicated by re-association, onboarding parameter changes and/or other changes indicated from the smartphone app 902 or web interface (not shown).
  • load changes e.g. a 1 GPH drip emitter replaced with a 10 GPH string of drip emitters
  • Figure 20 shows an installed side view of a physical realization of a multiport valve 103 according to an embodiment of the invention comprising valve base 801, a valve core 800 (not shown, but inside valve base 801), a passthrough hydraulic network connection 809 to/from network pipe 102 105 110, a grade level cover 975 and valve output connections 106 811 (output pipes 106 not shown for clarity) installed below grade 977 in a turf area with gravel 976 installed below the valve base 801 to aid drainage.
  • valve base 801 a valve core 800 (not shown, but inside valve base 801), a passthrough hydraulic network connection 809 to/from network pipe 102 105 110, a grade level cover 975 and valve output connections 106 811 (output pipes 106 not shown for clarity) installed below grade 977 in a turf area with gravel 976 installed below the valve base 801 to aid drainage.
  • Figure 21 shows a block diagram of another representative example of a pressure controlled irrigation network according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • the example system comprises a source pipe 100 supplying water to an appliance 101 which, among other things, drives a network of distribution pipes 113 114 106 to irrigation endpoints 107 such as pop-up sprinkler heads or drip emitters.
  • pipes 113 dotted lines
  • 114 solid lines
  • pipes 113 114 have an inner diameter between 0.3 inches and 4.0 inches.
  • pipes 113 and 114 are 3 ⁇ 4” SIDR 15 HDPE pipe that are joined using welded, glued, threaded, barbed, press-fit, twist locked and/or clamped tees, elbows and couplers to form the hydraulic pipe network 113 114.
  • the specific choice of pipe components can depend on many outside factors like cost, availability, reliability, materials, temperature range, ecological footprint, toxicity, compatibility, tools and/or installer familiarity.
  • the present teachings apply generally to all hydraulic networks independent of pipe and joint types; while some hydraulic components may be better suited to maximizing the utility and benefits of the present teachings, any pipe and joint construction method may be used to practice the invention. As such the invention is not particularly limited by choice of pipe or joints.
  • pressure pipe 113 (dotted lines) segments are used as a transmission line that supports the rapid propagation of pressure waves for considerable distances.
  • a branching network is preferentially formed by using segments of transmission lines 113 and diverter valves 112 which nominally steer the incident fluid flow to one of at least two available output ports. The state of all diverter valves 112 determines which segments of the branching transmission line network 113 are hydraulically connected to the appliance 101.
  • each logically selectable branch of pressure pipe network 113 that can be driven by appliance 101 is terminated at or near the end of its length with a termination 104 that matches the hydraulic impedance of the pressure pipe 113.
  • termination 104 substantially absorbs incident hydraulic pressure wave transients.
  • transmission line termination 104 is an AC termination that presents a stable matched impedance above a designed cutoff frequency and for a designed range of pressure amplitudes.
  • short branching spurs of pressure pipe 114 (solid lines) that have a round-trip pressure propagation time well above the bandwidth of the pressure waveforms generated by devices 101 111 112 104 on the hydraulic network 113 are preferentially not required to be terminated.
  • appliance 101, transmission line pipes 113, spur pipes 114, joints, diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 are selected and/or constructed to keep the aggregate hydraulic impedance encountered by propagating pressure waves in a bounded range (e.g. +/- 10% or +1-20% from ideal) so that the terminations 104 are effective in suppressing hydraulic reflections and ringing.
  • spurs 114 are permitted to be a different pipe diameter than the network branches 113.
  • the transmission line and spur pipe network 113 114 is populated with many emitter valves 111 which, with the benefit of the present teachings, can be constructed to have one or many individually selectable output ports connected to irrigation endpoints 107, blocked outputs 108 or open outputs 109.
  • appliance 101 transmits a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals that are received and decoded by valves 111 112. In a further embodiment, appliance 101 transmits a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals that are additionally used as a local mechanical power source by valves 111 112 to implement received state changes, e.g. changing active diverter valve 112 output port and/or opening or closing one or more desired emitter valve 111 ports.
  • the appliance 101 is preferentially capable of precise flow measurements and continuous pressure modulation. Such controls and sensors are preferentially used to provide detailed flow and pressure characterization data that quantify the states, functionality and characteristics of pipe network 113 114 106, valves 111 112 and emitters 107 (including open 109 and sealed 108 ports). Such data is preferentially used by the appliance 101 to confirm diverter and emitter valve 112 111 state changes, perform detailed system diagnostics (e.g. appliance subsystem functional checks), determine the presence of significant air in the network 113 114 106, discover and/or confirm network 113 114 topology, perform leak detection and isolation in the hydraulic network 113 114 106, perform emitter 107
  • detailed system diagnostics e.g. appliance subsystem functional checks
  • the flow for each emitter port 106 is characterized periodically and a historical model is built and validated by the appliance 101.
  • appliance 101 is able to automatically determine such network non-idealities using detailed flow and pressure characterization of the network (e.g. looking for runtime reflections, high frequency channel responses, determining low frequency capacitance variations below the cutoff of the AC terminations, addressing a particular network valve 111 112, etc.).
  • appliance 101 is able to mitigate the effects of such non-idealities by reducing pressure modulation slew rate, varying pressure modulation amplitude and/or timing, isolating damaged pipe 113 114 106, joint, valve 111 112, termination 104 and/or emitters 107 as allowed by the branching topology, commanding air venting (e.g. through a hydraulically addressable air vent), tuning termination (e.g. through a hydraulically tunable termination 104), generating user alerts and/or requesting repairs (e.g. replacing a termination 104).
  • commanding air venting e.g. through a hydraulically addressable air vent
  • tuning termination e.g. through a hydraulically tunable termination 104
  • generating user alerts and/or requesting repairs e.g. replacing a termination 104.
  • flow data for emitters 107 is used by the appliance to determine which emitter valve 111 ports may be opened simultaneously without exceeding the flow capability of input source 100, hydraulic pipe network 113 114 or valves 111 112.
  • the aggregate emitter 106 flow from any emitter valve 111 port is constrained at installation to not exceed the capacity of the input source 100, appliance 101, diverter valve 112, emitter valve 111 or any pipe network 113 114.
  • maximum permissible emitter port 106 flow is constrained to be between 1 to 10 GPM.
  • the pipe 113 114 106 sizes, valve 111 112 and emitter 107 sizes are chosen to have compatible flow capacities that minimize materials cost and variety.
  • the appliance 101 modulates hydraulic pressure at two or more levels to transmit an encoded selection address and command that is received by all valves 111 112 that are hydraulically connected within the active branches of the pipe network 113 114.
  • the hydraulic branching network 113 114 preferentially has only one active and terminated transmission line path at any time except during diverter valve 112 state changes.
  • the appliance 101 preferentially has knowledge of the network topology so that it can change diverter valve 112 states as needed to reach branches 113 114 containing the emitter valves 111 that the appliance 101 desires to command.
  • the appliance 101 can, when initialized with a list of diverter 112 and emitter 111 valve addresses, automatically determine the branching network topology 113 114 by using a search algorithm and available sensor data (e.g. flow vs. pressure, low bandwidth capacitance changes, pass/fail valve addressing tests, etc.).
  • subsequent irrigation flows to one or more selected emitter valve 111 ports 106 can be established by first signaling and configuring diverter valves 112 to hydraulically connect the desired emitter valve 111 to the appliance 101 and then signaling and commanding the desired emitter valve 111 to modulate fluid flow to emitters 107.
  • Figure 22 shows a block diagram of a representative appliance 101 150.
  • representative appliance may share one or more characteristics with an irrigation appliance as described in Figures 2 and 3. In some instances, the appliance may have one or more
  • the appliance 101 150 may have an electronics subsystem preferentially comprising a CPU 200, a wireless communications interface 201, a power system 202 and interface electronics 203.
  • a microprocessor-controlled device such as an appliance 101 can take many forms (e.g. a wireless interface can be embedded on the CPU chip; power electronics can be integrated with interface electronics, etc.).
  • the functional partitions shown in Figure 22 are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the invention.
  • the wireless interface 201 can take many forms such as a combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cellular radio standards, among others.
  • appliance 101 is connected by a wired interface (not shown) to a computer network.
  • a wired interface not shown
  • Figure 22 further shows a fluid source 154 204 entering an input filter 205 and then a flow meter 207.
  • a branch of the filtered source fluid can pass through a check valve 229 and then through a variable flow direct valve 230 into an output manifold 236 which, under nominal network operation, passes the fluid through an open isolation valve 243, through output filter 226 to an output port 227 which is connected preferentially to a hydraulic pipe network 113 114.
  • the input fluid is conveyed through filter 205, flow meter 207, check valve 229, direct valve 230, output manifold 236, isolation valve 243 and output filter 224 to reach the network 113 114.
  • a pressure sensor 237 preferentially monitors the output manifold 236 hydraulic pressure and adjusts the aperture of direct valve 230 in a feedback loop to achieve a desired output pressure at output manifold 236.
  • Preferentially isolation valve 243 is opened during normal network operation, presenting little pressure loss between output manifold 236 and output filter 226.
  • CPU 200 and interface electronics 203 along with pressure sensor 237 and variable direct valve 230 form a closed loop control system which can regulate the output pressure at the output manifold 236 and, without much loss of accuracy, at appliance hydraulic network port 227.
  • the direct mode of the appliance is used to support steady flows through the hydraulic network after selected emitter valves 111 are commanded open and a desired set of emitters 107 are actively delivering fluid for a desired flow interval.
  • direct valve 230 is chosen to have a large enough aperture so that the output manifold 236 pressure can be regulated by CPU 200 with a small pressure difference across direct valve 230 while driving the largest required emitter 106 load to maximize the utility of the fluid source 204 pressure to generate a sufficiently high output network pressure at 227 to drive such emitters 107.
  • direct valve 230 is a motorized 3 ⁇ 4” ceramic cartridge valve that is controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203.
  • Input fluid source 204 can also travel through filter 205 and flow meter 207 to a solenoid valve 238 that is activated by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 to provide a source fluid at the input port of boost pump 239 which is similarly controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203.
  • the boost pump 239 output passes through a check valve 240 to reach a pressure tank 233.
  • Pressure tank 233 preferentially stores fluid from boost pump 239 for use by both tank valve 234 and up valve 235 in driving the output manifold 236.
  • Tank valve 234 is preferentially a variable flow valve commanded by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 that can be adjusted in a feedback loop comprising CPU 200, interface electronics 203, tank valve 324 and pressure sensor 237 to regulate the pressure within output manifold 236 and by nature of the low hydraulic resistance between output manifold 236 and output port 227, the pressure at output port 227.
  • tank valve 234 is a motorized 1 ⁇ 2” ceramic cartridge valve that is controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203.
  • tank mode fluid passes from input source 204 through filter 205, flow meter 207, solenoid valve 238, boost bump 239, check valve
  • tank valve 234 is used to regulate the pressure in output manifold 236 and provide flow to output port 227 through isolation valve 243 and output filter 226.
  • tank mode is used to support a baseline flow during pressure signaling, as described below.
  • up valve 235 also controls flow from pressure tank 233 to output manifold 236.
  • Up valve 235 is controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 and can be continuously varied to support pressure regulation in output manifold 236.
  • up valve 235 can transition rapidly (e.g. from off to on in under 1 second), providing enough transition speed to support rapid hydraulic pressure signaling.
  • up valve 235 is sized to support sufficient flow to generate the desired pressure amplitude changes required for the signaling protocol of the present invention.
  • the up valve 235 is constructed to resist the effects of wear and can support a significant number of mechanical cycles without significant reliability issues.
  • Down valve 241 is preferentially of similar construction as up valve 235; it is similarly controlled by CPU 200 through interface 203 and can similarly support rapid transitions with good wear resistance and reliability. Down valve 241, when open, allows flow from output manifold 236 to an open tank 244, a drain valve 213 and a check valve 242. Nominally the pressure seen at the open tank is very low (it is open to the air) and well below the minimum signaling pressure desired at output port 227.
  • CPU 200 are preferentially controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 to form a push/pull pair for driving the output manifold 236 pressure rapidly up and down by varying amounts.
  • the CPU 200 can generate complex high rate signaling waveforms for the communication protocol of the present invention while also supporting efficient run-time flows for sustaining prolonged fluid delivery intervals.
  • boost pump 239 can pull fluid from open tank 244 through check valve 242 and use said fluid to further pressurize pressure tank 233 wherein the recycled fluid is available for pulling the pressure up in output manifold 236 by the operation of tank valve 234 or up valve 235.
  • the finite positive capacitance (defined as the change in volume over the change in pressure) of the hydraulic network 113 114 will generate backflow into the appliance 101 150 on downward pressure transitions.
  • multi -transition signaling protocols such as those proposed below can be implemented without dumping fluid to a drain or extra output.
  • Drain valve 213 is attached to down valve 241, check valve 242 and open tank 244 and is preferentially used to drain the appliance in the case of maintenance (e.g. cleaning filters), winterization and/or repairs.
  • maintenance e.g. cleaning filters
  • the output manifold 236 and pressure tank 233 can be
  • drain valve 213 is used for intermittent maintenance related activities of the appliance 101 150.
  • a pressurized air source 231 may be attached to the appliance 101 150 through a check valve 232 driving into the pressure tank 233.
  • air pressure is modulated using tank valve 234, up valve 235 and/or down valve 241 controlled by CPU 200 to deliver modulated air pressure to the hydraulic network 113 114 for the purposes of clearing fluid from the hydraulic network 113 114 106, valves 111 112, emitters 107 and terminations 104.
  • pressurized air 231 is used to clear fluid from the internal components of the appliance 101 150 to prepare the system for freezing temperatures.
  • a variable speed pump can be used instead of variable valves. Centrifugal/impeller pumps and various positive displacement pumps are well known choices for such architectures, in single and multi-stage topologies.
  • a boost pump path could be deemed unnecessary by one skilled in the art if the input source pressure is sufficiently high to support the desired signaling and the recycling of backflow is unnecessary by either design (e.g. always a positive flow from appliance with e.g. a fixed pulldown load on the network) or desire (dumping waste fluid is not a design prohibition or the fluid can be re-used for other purposes, e.g. a separate gravity fed drip irrigation system).
  • a fully mechanical pressure regulation and/or pressure relief mechanism can be devised that does not require a CPU or interface electronics to make a continuous feedback pressure control loop - such a mechanism could implement mechanical pressure regulation that is then modulated by digital on/off valves (e.g. solenoid valves) to rapidly transition between pressure levels to generate complex signaling waveforms.
  • digital on/off valves e.g. solenoid valves
  • An arrangement of tanks at various mechanically regulated pressures could be switched using variable or binary valves such as solenoids, proportional solenoids, ball valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, servo valves, etc. to generate a variable output pressure as required by the present invention.
  • Such engineering choices of the architecture of the pressure and flow modulation means are influenced by many factors such as cost, availability, power consumption, materials compatibility, familiarity, noise generation, efficiency, reliability, tooling costs, intellectual property considerations, environmental impact, size, weight, regulatory compliance, building code uniformity, import/export restrictions, health concerns, marketability, consumer price thresholds, profitability, development schedules and feature sets among others.
  • the appliance 101 150 block diagram of Figure 22 is meant to illustrate just one of a multitude of practical and implementable pressure modulation means well known to those skilled in electromechanical fluid control and is not intended to restrict the scope of the present teachings.
  • appliance 101 150 The primary purpose of appliance 101 150 is to convey fluid flow from a source 100 152 204 to an output port 155 227 and to further modulate the pressure at least one output port 155 227 to implement the communication protocol and fluid delivery of the present teachings; as is well known in the art such purposes can be met with a multitude of architectures and component choices that are available to implementers and such choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • one or more fertilizer tanks 254 supplying concentrated nutrients of one or more varieties can be selectively pumped via one or more fertilizer metering pumps 253 into open tank 244 which preferentially dilutes and mixes the nutrients with source or backflow fluid.
  • the mixture in open tank 244 can then be re-pressurized by boost pump 239 to supply pressure tank 233 and ultimately deliver nutrients to output 227 155 through tank valve 234 and/or up valve 235.
  • appliance 101 has sufficient information to deliver a desired dose of diluted nutrients to a desired emitter valve 111 output and emitter 107.
  • Figure 23 shows a representative physical realization of a two-output diverter valve 112.
  • the diverter valve may share one or more characteristics with a valve 103 as previously described.
  • the diverter valve may have one or more different characteristics.
  • the diverter valve may comprise a housing 270, a hydraulic input port 271, two hydraulic output ports 272 273 and a manual control knob 274. In an embodiment of the invention, input and output hydraulic ports
  • 271 272 273 are sized to fit similarly sized pipes 113 114.
  • input and output hydraulic ports 271, 272 and 273 are sized to fit 3 ⁇ 4” SIDR 15 HDPE pipes.
  • input and output hydraulic ports 271 272 273 are press-fit connections.
  • the fluid routing within diverter valve 112 and as shown in Figure 23 presents a negligible flow resistance and thus negligible perturbations to the transmission line impedance when connected to hydraulic network 113 114.
  • the two-output diverter valve 112 shown in Figure 23 preferentially can switch the input pressure and flow arriving at input port 271 to one of the two available output ports 272 273. Such switching is preferentially signaled to the diverter valves 112 using a pressure modulated hydraulic signaling protocol of the present teachings that can selectively command one or more diverter valves 112 to change its active output port.
  • the purpose of the diverter valve 112 of Figure 23 is to support the construction of a hydraulic branching network 1 13 114 that can act as a transmission line to convey both fluid flow, information signaling and motive power through a hydraulic network 113 1 14 106.
  • a diverter valve 112 can be constructed with more than two outputs; in a preferred embodiment the input port 271 is nominally connected hydraulically to one of the available outputs to maintain a well-controlled
  • the transition between output ports may present a mixture of the downstream network impedances and/or a complete or partial blockage to the upstream network which would constitute an impedance discontinuity.
  • the appliance 101 150 can reduce its signaling slew rate and data rate to reduce reflections and signal integrity issues until such impedance discontinuities are resolved when the diverter valve 112 reaches its final state wherein only one output 272 273 is connected hydraulically to input port 271.
  • Figure 24 shows a representative block diagram of a diverter valve 112 comprising an input port 271 300 which is connected to a hydraulic actuator 301.
  • hydraulic connections are represented by solid lines and mechanical connections are represented by dotted lines.
  • Hydraulic actuator 301 creates a mechanical motion 302 in response to pressure changes at hydraulic input port 300. In a preferred embodiment, this mechanical motion at 302 is approximately linearly related to the input pressure at 300.
  • Irrigation systems may need to be installed on hillsides; gravity has a strong effect on water pressure adding or subtracting 0.433 PSI per foot of elevation change.
  • the appliance 101, diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 have the capability to compensate or adapt to changes in baseline static or DC pressure so that they can be preferentially installed at a multitude of elevations without losing functionality, requiring adjustment or requiring external equipment to compensate for elevation induced pressure changes.
  • hydraulic flows can experience pressure drops over long distances due to hydraulic friction in pipes and components that affect the pressures seen by distant diverter and emitter valves 112 111.
  • the diverter and emitter valves 111 112 are equipped with mechanisms to adapt to pressure offsets that arise from hydraulic pressure losses.
  • hydraulic actuator 301 generates a mechanical motion 302 over a large range of input pressures.
  • input pressures may range from 10PSI to 90PSI.
  • pressures might range from 15PSI to 65PSI.
  • the signaling protocol of the present invention preferentially requires only a fraction of the available pressure range, e.g. 35PSI, leaving the remainder available for elevation and hydraulic flow pressure offsets.
  • the mechanical motion 302 which is roughly proportional to the input pressure at 300 is passed through a DC removal mechanism 303 that adapts away DC pressure offsets present in the input waveform and outputs an AC mechanical signal 304.
  • the AC mechanical signal 304 is further passed to addressing pawls 305 that can selectively turn one or more address ratchet gears 331 in response to a prescribed sequence of AC motions on address pawls 305.
  • Address ratchet gears 331 are turned preferentially so that, in the case of a unicast message reception, a selected address ratchet gear will achieve a unique position 332 relative to all other non-selected address ratchet gears reacting to the pressure modulation in the system.
  • the position 332 is evaluated and stored by mechanism 333 using AC mechanical motion 304, effectively storing a hydraulically transmitted state command mechanically.
  • the desired state of the valve is stored in the form of a mechanical bit that has a spring to provide a mechanical restoring force which creates a mechanical bi-stability.
  • the state of this mechanical bit 334 is coupled to valve pawls 335 which direct the raw DC mechanical motion 302 to turn a valve ratchet gear 337 in a selected direction which is coupled to the valve stem 341 of a rotary multiport ball valve 342.
  • the direct DC mechanical motion 302 of hydraulic actuator 301 is harnessed to turn the stem of multiport ball valve 342 as opposed to using the AC mechanical motion 304 to minimize the load and thus simplify the design of the DC-removal mechanism 303 as it only needs to pass relatively low mechanical forces to addressing pawls 305 and evaluation and bit storage 333.
  • the relatively high mechanical load of turning the multiport ball valve 342 is performed using the mechanical motion 302 of the hydraulic actuator 301 to minimize load, stress and wear on DC removal mechanism 303.
  • bidirectional ratchet gear 337 is mechanically driven by an AC mechanical signal 304 that is generated by a DC removal mechanism 303.
  • the DC removal operation 303 is removed and addressing pawls 305 and evaluation mechanism 333 are directly driven by hydraulic actuator 301 output 302.
  • the address ratchet gears respond to absolute pressure thresholds which can be sufficient for installations with small elevation changes and low flow rates.
  • Those skilled in the art will recognize a tradeoff between cost and features can be done that trades elevation change tolerance for valve cost and protocol pressure swings, i.e. the pressure range of the protocol can be increased so that there is some native elevation tolerance without a DC removal mechanism 303.
  • Such alternatives are considered within the scope of the present invention.
  • a mechanical knob 274 338 is implemented that, through user manipulation, both disengages valve pawls 335 using a release link 339 and drives the ball valve stem 341 to a desired position (state).
  • Multiport ball valve 342 is constructed to pass bi-directional fluid flows from input port 300 to one of at least two output ports 343 344.
  • multiport ball valve 342 has two output ports 343 344 and can switch between said outputs with approximately a quarter turn of its valve stem 341.
  • mechanical detents indicate to the user when the mechanical knob position has achieved a full open state for one of the outputs 343 344.
  • an additional midway knob detent that effectively splits input flow evenly between outputs 343 344, with some additional pressure loss at high flow rates, can be utilized in a number of non- operational scenarios, such as diagnostics, maintenance, testing, installation flushing and pressure hold checks, leak detection and/or winterization procedures.
  • Figure 25 shows a physical realization of a diverter valve with a hydraulic actuator 423 301, frame 422, rocker arm 427 and spring load 430 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Input fluid port 271415 feeds an input manifold 417 which preferentially distributes fluid to a two-output ball valve 418 with control stem 419 and outputs 272 420 273 421 as well as a hydraulic actuator 301 423.
  • a bypass port 416 is provided from the input manifold to allow additional connections to the input source 415, integrating the functionality of an external network tee.
  • a frame 422 is mechanically attached to the input manifold 417, ball valve 418 and hydraulic actuator 423 and provides a pivot point 428 preferentially as an axle about which rocker arm 427 is preferentially allowed to rotate.
  • An end bracket 425 is attached to the anchor plug 424 355 of the hydraulic actuator 423 and the rocker arm 427 and allowed to pivot around additional axle 426.
  • hydraulic pressure applied at port 415 and/or port 416 is fed through input manifold 417 to hydraulic actuator 423, causing it to expand radially and contract axially, pulling end bracket 425 closer to input manifold 417.
  • Rocker arm 427 preferentially pivots about axle 428 affixed to frame 422 and produces a force on spring 430 through pivot point 429.
  • Spring 430 is preferentially anchored to frame 422 and/or input manifold 417 at point 431 (anchor not shown for clarity).
  • spring 430 provides a progressively increasing counter force to hydraulic actuator 423 as the hydraulic actuator 423 contracts, creating a mechanical motion 302 related to the hydraulic pressure at input port 300 415.
  • extension, compression, torsion, leaf, pneumatic and elastomer springs are well known in the art and may be substituted individually or in combination to perform the requisite translation of hydraulic pressure change to mechanical motion of the present invention.
  • hydraulic actuator 423, frame 422, end bracket 425, pivot points 426 428 429, rocker arm 427, spring(s) 430 and anchor point(s) 431 are constructed so that the mechanical motion of the rocker arm (angular motion or linear motion) is approximately linearly proportional to input pressure at port 300 415.
  • any number of mechanical hydraulic actuators and countering loads can approximately translate pressure changes linearly into mechanical motions; any number of these designs can be substituted for the mechanism described in detail herein to meet the objective of the invention to translate hydraulic pressure changes to approximately proportional mechanical motion (rotary or linear).
  • the present invention is not dependent on the underlying choice of hydromechanical actuation.
  • FIGS 26, 27 and 28 show alternative views of a physical realization of a diverter valve including a DC removal mechanism 303 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • a slider arm 440 is attached to rocker arm 427 and mechanically pivots around axle 428 in concert with said rocker arm 427.
  • the slider arm 440 has inner and outer radii centered on the rocker arm 427 pivot point 428.
  • An AC arm 441 preferentially shares the rocker arm pivot axle 428 and can rotate independently of the rocker arm 427 and slider arm 440.
  • Two clutch clamps 442 and 444 are preferentially positioned around the slider arm 440 and attached at pivot points 443 and 445 respectively to the AC arm 441.
  • a small torsion spring 446 is attached to AC arm 441 and pushes against both clutch clamps 442 and 444 to create a clamping force between clutch clamps 442 444 and the arced section of slider arm 440.
  • slider arm 440’s dual radii portion 447 is preferentially moving with rocker arm 427 upon a change in input pressure at port 271 300 357 415 as shown by an arcing double arrow.
  • arced section 447 moves clockwise in Figure 28 at high input pressure and counter-clockwise at low pressure about pivot point 428 as hydraulic actuator 423 and spring(s) 430 react to changes in input pressure.
  • Clutch clamps 442 444 when clamping, cause AC arm 441 to follow the motion of slider arm 440 447.
  • One or more clutch limits 448 causes the AC arm 441 to stop tracking the motion of the slider arm 440 447 when one of the clutch clamps 442 444 contact said clutch limit(s) 448.
  • the mechanical motion range of the AC arm 441 is restricted by clutch limiter 448 to be less than the mechanical range of the slider 440 447 and rocker 427 arms.
  • the hydraulic actuator 423 and spring 430 create a wide range rotational movement of rocker arm 427 that is roughly proportional to input pressure at port 415 and is then selectively followed by AC arm 441 by bidirectional clutch clamps 442 444 so as to create consistently bounded AC mechanical motions in AC arm 441 that are approximately independent of any DC offset pressure at input port 415.
  • AC arm 441 selectively follows slider arm 440 447 with a relatively strong mechanical connection at clutches 442 444 until one of the two clutch clamps 442 444 hits a fixed mechanical limit 448 at which point the mechanical connection between slider arm 440 447 and AC arm 441 is substantially reduced, allowing slider arm 440 447 and by extension rocker arm 427 to move relatively unencumbered by any mechanical load presented by AC arm 441.
  • the clutch clamps 442 444 are designed to grip arcing slider 448 strongly when not in contact with mechanical limit(s) 448 and to slip easily when in contact with mechanical limit(s) 448 due to the angles formed by the arc 447 contact points with clutch clamps 442 444, the pivot points 443 445 and the central pivot point 428.
  • the mechanism shown in Figures 25, 26, 27 and 28 describes an effective method for translating AC pressure changes in a hydraulic network 113 114 into AC mechanical motions which can be used in diverter 112 or emitter valve 111 mechanisms of the present teachings for receiving AC commands.
  • bidirectional clutch mechanism that can similarly extract or limit AC motion from a wide- ranging input motion.
  • Any linear or rotary implementation that creates a limited range motion from a larger range motion can replace the example mechanism of Figures 26, 27 and 28 to accomplish the desired operation of the present invention.
  • alternatives well known in the art can similarly act to create an AC motion derived from push/pull pressure modulations on top of a DC pressure baseline.
  • a differential pressure sensor which is driven hydraulically on one side by a fast responding input path and on the other side by a slow responding input (e.g. slowed by flow restriction in combination with some capacity or tank) can create AC mechanical motion from relatively fast pressure modulations on top of a baseline pressure.
  • Such alternatives can replace all or part of the example mechanism described in detail herein to create the desired AC motion 304 from an AC hydraulic pressure modulation of the present invention.
  • Those skilled in the art will recognize the wide range of solutions to such hydromechanical requirements and the present teachings are not restricted to a particular choice of hydromechanical implementation to achieve an AC motion response to hydraulic pressure modulation.
  • Figure 29 shows an embodiment of a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to the present invention comprising two ratchet gears 620 621 that are fixed (bonded) to each other and rotate around a central fixed axle 622.
  • ratchet gears 620 621 are advanced by the action of two moving pawls 623 624 and backward rotation (in Figure 29, backwards being a counter clockwise motion) is prevented by catch pawl 629.
  • Catch pawl 629 is affixed to frame 631 at a fixed pivot point 630 and with a preferentially small spring (not shown) applying an engagement force to ensure it is engaged with the ratchet teeth of the upper gear 620 in Figure 29.
  • Pawl 623 can preferentially advance the ratchet gear stack 620 621 clockwise in Figure 29 by the motion of pawl arm 627 which is connected by pivot point 625 to pawl 623.
  • pawl 624 can advance ratchet gear stack 620 621 through the motion of pawl arm 627 connected to pawl 624 through pivot point 626.
  • Preferentially pawl arm 627 moves substantially toward or away from ratchet gear stack 620 621 to create a clockwise motion of the ratchet gear stack 620 621.
  • a torsion spring 628 is preferentially attached between lever arms of pawls 623 and 624 to provide a repelling force which, through rotation about pivot point 625 causes pawl 623 to engage with ratchet gear 620.
  • the upper gear 620 in the ratchet gear stack 620 621 preferentially has a missing gear tooth.
  • Pawl 623 is preferentially constructed to have an extension that contacts fixed guide 632 at high AC pressure which has the effect of disengaging the pawl 623 from the upper ratchet gear 620.
  • Pawl 623, guide 632 and the motion of pawl arm 627 is preferentially constructed to only advance ratchet gears 620 621 when pawl arm 627 is moved maximally away from ratchet gear stack 620 621 which is preferentially achieved at low AC pressure input in this embodiment.
  • repeated cycling of input pressure at port 415 from a high pressure or a mid-high pressure to a low pressure causes pawl arm 627 to advance ratchet gear 620 by one tooth, captured by constantly engaged catch pawl 629, until the preferentially missing tooth of ratchet gear 620 is aligned with pawl 623.
  • a sequence of high-low AC pressure cycles is used to intentionally reset the position of the ratchet gear stack 620 621 to a known starting position (with the missing tooth rotated to a known position) independent of the initial rotation state of the address gear stack 620 621.
  • many addressable devices such as diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 have similar ratchet gears 620 which are similarly missing a tooth.
  • an appliance 101 can reset many addressable devices 111 112 to a known address gear stack rotation state.
  • a rotary ratchet gear to implement a limit-seeking clocking mechanism that can be reset from an unknown state to a known state by a series of pressure cycles.
  • Various rotary and linear gear escapements, pawl engagements, pins, levers, guides, etc. can be configured to achieve substantially the same function of achieving a known state after some number of pressure cycles.
  • the present teachings preferentially require that a movable ratchet element (in this embodiment ratchet gear 620 with a missing tooth) and at least one of its drivers (in this embodiment, pawl 623) is constructed to achieve a known position after some amount of pressure cycling and that many receivers (e.g. diverter valves 112 and/or emitter valves 111) can be synchronized to a similar position state by pressure cycles on the hydraulic network 113 114.
  • receivers e.g. diverter valves 112 and/or emitter valves 111
  • pawl 624 is similarly guided by two fixed elements 633 and 634. Upon the movement to a low pressure position (downward in Figure 29), pawl 624 preferentially contacts guide element 633 which forces pawl 624 away from ratchet gear 621.
  • Spring 628 is preferentially repositioned as a result into so that the pawl 624 is now repelled from contacting ratchet gear 621 and therefore has no ability to move the combined ratchet gear stack 620 621 clockwise.
  • pawl 624 and spring 628 form a bistable element with two stable states, one where pawl 624 is pushed to engage with ratchet gear 621 and another where pawl 624 is pushed to disengage from ratchet gear 624.
  • spring 628 keeps pawl 624 disengaged for any mid to low AC pressure levels.
  • pawl 624 contacts fixed guide element 634 and then is flipped into the engagement state with ratchet gear 621.
  • Guide element 634 is preferentially configured so that such re-engagement happens after the point at which the pawl 624 can grab a new tooth of ratchet gear 621.
  • pawl 624 In the engaged state if pawl 624 is returned to a mid level pressure position, it preferentially is able to grab a tooth of ratchet gear 621 (if one is available) which, if available, would turn gear stack 620 621 clockwise by one tooth upon application of a high pressure level motion to pawl arm 627. Note that if the pawl 623 receives a high4ow-high pressure sequence, it is preferentially arranged to flip into the disengage state on the high-to-low transition then flip into the engaged state on the low-to-high transition without advancing the ratchet gear stack 620 621 clockwise.
  • Figure 30 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform 640 for advancing a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • an AC sequence of high-low-high pressures 642 transmitted by appliance 101 and conveyed by hydraulic network 113 114 causes pawl 623 within a network device (e.g. a diverter or emitter valve 112 111) to engage with a tooth if available on ratchet gear 620 and turn the gear stack one tooth clockwise.
  • a network device e.g. a diverter or emitter valve 112 11
  • an AC pressure sequence of high- mid-high 641 from the appliance 101 engages pawl 624 (potentially from an unengaged state) and turns gear 621 (and hence gear stack 620 621) clockwise if there is an available tooth on ratchet gear 621 to receive pawl 624’ s motion.
  • the combination of address ratchet gears 620 621 and pawls 623 624 can distinguish between high-low-high sequences and high-mid-high sequences; only if there is an available tooth on the corresponding address ratchet gear 620 621 will the gear stack rotate one tooth clockwise.
  • hydraulic actuator 301 and/or DC-removal 303 are constructed to exhibit a hysteretic mechanical response to preferentially suppress the effects of signaling noise on the input pressure waveform 300.
  • ratchet gear 621 has multiple teeth missing.
  • the ratchet gears 621 within all diverter and emitter valves 111 112 in a given hydraulic network have a unique pattern of missing gear teeth.
  • each distinct operation of all addressable elements e.g. for a simple valve control, an open operation and a separate close operation
  • a selected segment of the pattern of missing teeth on ratchet gear 621 constitute a binary address containing some number of bits, N, that allow the assignment of unique addresses from the 2 L N address space for operations of various addressable elements in hydraulic network 113 114.
  • the address space is restricted to preferentially have similar numbers of ones and zeros.
  • the address space is further restricted to preferentially have equal numbers of ones and zeros.
  • the appliance 101 transmits a series of pressure pulses corresponding to a desired operation (e.g. open port 3) of a particular addressable device on hydraulic network 113 114.
  • Pressure pulses encoding the binary address of the corresponding ratchet gear 621 for that device and operation propagate through hydraulic network 113 114 and are received by all connected devices (e.g. divert and emitter valves 111 112).
  • the targeted addressable device through action of pawls 623 and 624, responds to the sequence of pressure pulses mechanically and achieves a rotation state of one of its ratchet gear stacks 620 621 that is consistent with the operation to be performed (e.g. the “open port 3” stack is rotated to an advanced position as it matches the transmitted address, whereas the“close all ports” stack does not match the transmitted address and is in a different, less advanced position).
  • the communication of operations is performed by first sending a series of reset pressure cycles which rotate all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 of hydraulically connected addressable devices on the network to a known state (e.g. high -low pressure cycles reset all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 by virtue of the missing tooth in substantially all ratchet gears 620).
  • a known state e.g. high -low pressure cycles reset all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 by virtue of the missing tooth in substantially all ratchet gears 620.
  • substantially all ratchet gears 621 across the network of devices has a start tooth that can advance the ratchet gear stack 620 621 from this reset state.
  • the appliance subsequently transmits a high-mid-high sequence to advance substantially all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 that are hydraulically connected one tooth clockwise through the action of pawl 624 on ratchet gear 621 to start the address decoding operation.
  • the pattern of l’s and 0’s of the targeted device operation ’s binary address, comprising N bits of pressure sequence
  • ratchet gear stacks 620 621 corresponding to N teeth locations on ratchet gears 620 621, is transmitted by the appliance 101 as a sequence of pressure modulations 640.
  • substantially all ratchet gears stacks 620 621 will advance one tooth clockwise by virtue of the fully populated section of teeth on ratchet gears 620 (which are preferably substantially consistent across all receiving devices).
  • Transmitted pressure sequences of high-mid-high will advance ratchet gear stacks 620 621 only if they have a tooth populated on gear 621 at the proper location to receive the motion of pawl 624.
  • the selective advancement of ratchet gear stacks 620 621 when the sequence of pressure pulses matches the sequence of teeth on ratchet gear 621 allows the appliance 101 to selectively advance a single or a subgroup of ratchet gear stacks 620 621 to an advanced clockwise position, while substantially all other ratchet gear stacks in untargeted addressable devices are in a relatively retarded clockwise position.
  • the amount of retardation of a particular ratchet gear 621 is proportional to the number of times a high-med-high sequence 641 was received but there was not a corresponding tooth available at that point on said ratchet gear 621.
  • the population of ratchet gear stacks embedded within substantially all reachable addressable network devices e.g. diverter and emitter valves 112 111) are in a clockwise race during the address transmission portion of the appliance’s 101 pressure sequence. In this embodiment, only those ratchet gear stacks 620 621 that have teeth available on their ratchet gears 621
  • a subset of the reachable hydraulic selectable device operations can be selected by a pressure sequence from the appliance 101 by substituting one or more high-low-high sequences 642 for the high-med-high 641 segments of the transmitted waveform.
  • high-low-high 642 advances substantially all ratchet gear stacks 620 621, resulting in potentially multiple winners of the mechanical address-matching race.
  • similar device operations e.g.“close emitter ports” are assigned unique binary addresses that have a common prefix, suffix or shared bits which allow the appliance to preferentially send multicast or broadcast commands to multiple receivers simultaneously to effect a desired change (e.g. a multicast command of“close all emitters” that matches all emitter ratchet gear stacks 620 621 while not matching any diverter ratchet gear stacks nor any“open emitter port” stacks).
  • the 2 L N address space (or restricted 2 L N address space, as mentioned above) is partitioned into subsets that correspond to useful multicast or broadcast command groups.
  • an appliance 101 can send a series of pressure sequences to activate various watering flows at a subset of emitter valve outputs 106 using unicast (i.e. single ratchet gear 620 621 race winner) commands with pauses in between unicast addressing sequences to effect different watering times, then send a multicast or broadcast“close all” command (multiple ratchet gear 620 621 race winners) to stop the multiple opened flows.
  • unicast i.e. single ratchet gear 620 621 race winner
  • emitter valves 111 with multiple output ports may share a ratchet gear stack 620 621 for a common“close all ports at this emitter valve” command.
  • Each port in this embodiment has a unique“open port” ratchet gear stack 620 621 to provide uniquely selectable fluid delivery to a port (unicast“open” and shared“close”).
  • a multistate hydraulic receiving device can have any mixture of unique and shared operations affecting multiple internal states, each operation having a corresponding ratchet gear stack 620 621.
  • ratchet gear stacks 620 621 can encode addresses that are partitioned to group useful functions to enable multicast and broadcast messages to a network with many receivers with many operations, each operation corresponding to a ratchet gear stack 620 621.
  • all output manifold emitter valves 111 can share a“close” command prefix so that a single pressure sequence transmission can be received and interpreted to close many outputs across many individually addressable emitter valves 111.
  • ratchet gear stack 620 621 can be alternatively implemented with a bi-directional ratchet configuration or any number of linear ratchet devices.
  • pawl direction and the meaning of high and low pressure can be trivially inverted or permuted.
  • An alternative set of pawl limits, guides and ratchet gears can be implemented that create desired selective advancement of ratchets with alternative pressure sequences (e.g.
  • FIG. 31 shows a command evaluation and state storage mechanism 333 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • ratchet gear stack 620 621 has an evaluation pin 635 that can be selectively rotated into the path of an evaluation lever 731 that is pushed and pulled by the AC pressure motion of lever arm 730 driven by hydraulic actuator 301 and DC removal mechanism 303 (e.g. AC arm 441).
  • lever arm 730 when a high AC pressure is applied and evaluation pin 635 is positioned correctly (i.e. the race winner), lever arm 730 is pushed toward pin 635 and the tip 741 of evaluation lever 731 causes it to rotate clockwise about pivot 743 on lever arm 730 and further pushes laterally on push arm 732 through pivot 744.
  • push arm 732 has a slot which can push on a state pin 733 connected to a state lever 734 which pivots around fixed axle 735.
  • Axle 735 in Figure 31 is anchored to frame 422 by block 736.
  • An inverted lever 737 shares axle 735 and is connected to state lever 734 through a torsion spring 738 which is arranged so that there are two stable position states of levers 734 and 737.
  • state lever 734 is pulled towards ratchet gear stack 620 621, inverted lever 737 is pushed away from ratchet gear stack 620 621. If state lever 735 is pushed away from ratchet gear stack 620 621 (e.g. through push arm 732 pushing on state pin 733) the spring force provided by torsion spring 738 will cause inverted lever 737 to flip so that it is pushed toward ratchet gear stack 620 621.
  • state lever 734 and inverted lever 737 form a bistable mechanical storage element with a restoring force supplied by torsion spring 738. In this embodiment, this bistable storage element is used to hold the desired state of the representative diverter valve 112 (e.g.
  • ratchet gear stack 620 621 has been selectively rotated by a matching address pressure sequence so that its evaluation pin 635 is in position to contact evaluation lever 731 741, a subsequent high pressure pulse will cause evaluation lever 731 to rotate clockwise and push on push arm 732 and pin 733 which will deterministically set the state of the bistable mechanical storage element formed by 734 737 and spring 738.
  • inverted lever 737 is connected to a state link 739 through pivot 740 which can transmit the state of the bistable element to other mechanical elements for turning valve stem 419.
  • a second ratchet gear stack (not shown) has a different pattern of gear teeth and is preferentially used through similar selective advancement in response to an applied hydraulic pressure sequence to rotate its evaluation pin into a position wherein a second evaluation lever and a pull arm (not shown) can to reset the state of the bistable mechanical storage element formed by 734 737 and 738 by pulling pin 733 toward ratchet gear stack 620 621.
  • the set command operation has an N bit address and first ratchet gear stack 620 621 and the reset command operation has a different N bit address and a second ratchet gear stack (not shown).
  • bistable mechanical element and setting/resetting means can mechanically sample the position of a mechanism that is selectively advanced by received pressure sequences.
  • the mechanical storage of the present teachings can use any number or combinations of springs, elastomers, gravity, pressure and/or other restoring force and can take many mechanical configurations of levers, gears, slides, pins, axles, etc. with substantially the same functionality of capturing the instantaneous state of a selectively advanced element into a longer lived stored mechanical state.
  • Such permutations and combinations of well know mechanical elements to implement the functionality of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
  • Figure 32 shows a bidirectional ratchet gear 337 mechanism for turning a ball valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • a valve ratchet gear 770 with opposing ratchet teeth 783 784 covering approximately 90 degree sectors is affixed to a valve stem 771 419 of a two-output ball valve that requires approximately a 90 degree turn to switch between output ports.
  • valve ratchet gear 770 has a lever extension 772 to allow manual turning of the ball valve stem 771 419.
  • valve pawls 335 772 773 are alternatively engaged to turn the valve stem 771 419 in either direction; valve pawls 772 and 773 are mechanically driven by a valve pawl arm 774 through pivot points 776 and 775 respectively.
  • a valve pawl link 778 connects the valve pawls 772 773 and ensures that only one valve pawl is engaged at a time with the ratchet teeth of valve gear 770.
  • Valve pawl arm 774 pivots around a fixed axle 777 and is driven by a power link acting on pivot point 781 to rotate about fixed pivot 777 by a hydraulic actuator 301 423 through rocker arm 427.
  • valve gear 770 will turn counter-clockwise until the ratchet teeth 783 on that side of valve gear 770 are pushed out of the range of valve pawl 772 by the reciprocating motion of valve pawl arm 774 in response to hydraulic pressure modulations.
  • valve pawl 773 is engaged with valve gear teeth 784, valve pawl 773 will rotate valve gear 770 clockwise until valve gear teeth 784 are pushed out of the
  • valve pawl 773 in response to hydraulic pressure modulations applied through a power link (not shown) driving point 781.
  • the reciprocating rotation of valve pawl arm 774 about axle 777 causes the valve stem 419 to rotate approximately a quarter turn over some number of pressure modulations then automatically stop when the teeth 783 or 784 are sufficiently advanced.
  • the direction of the valve stem 419 motion is determined by which pawl of 772 773 is engaged; in this embodiment, valve pawls 772 and 773 are mechanically linked to the bistable inverted lever 739 driving pivot 782 through a pushrod (not shown).
  • the bistable mechanical state stored in 734 737 738 that is set or reset through selective advancement of ratchet gears 620 621 and sampled by evaluation lever 731 acting on evaluation pin 635 is transferred to the valve turning mechanism of Figure 32.
  • the mechanical power for the reciprocating motion of valve pawl arm 774 is supplied directly by the hydraulic actuator 301.
  • the reciprocating motion of valve pawl arm 774 is supplied by the DC removal 303 block.
  • valve stem 419 the state of the valve pawls 772 773 is transferred to the rotational state of the ball valve stem 419 by the reciprocating motion of arm 774 in response to pressure modulation.
  • a significant torque can be applied to valve stem 419.
  • the turning torque requirement of valve stem 419 can be mechanically reduced and translated so that small modulations of a hydraulic actuator (small in force and/or small in motion) can be harnessed to turn a large ball valve stem 419 with high torque by increasing the number of pressure modulation cycles required to complete a switch of the ball valve 417 state.
  • Figures 23 through 32 describe a particular embodiment of a diverter valve 112 that utilizes at its core a quarter turn ball valve 417 that is sized to present a negligible hydraulic impedance discontinuity to a terminated hydraulic transmission line 113 114.
  • the interdependencies of desired flow rate, pipe sizing, pipe impedance, diverter valve sizing, diverter valve construction e.g. ball valve vs. gate valve
  • torque requirements e.g. ball valve vs. gate valve
  • torque requirements e.g. ball valve vs. gate valve
  • Figures 33 and 34 show a protocol flow chart and example pressure modulation sequence for selectively addressing hydraulic devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 34 additionally shows the AC pawl position (e.g. of AC pawl arm 441 after DC removal 303; pawls 623 624 and evaluation arm 730 experience this motion as well).
  • the combination of ratchet gears 620 621 form a subcomponent herein called an address gear, each of which has a binary address of N bits and can be selectively advanced by matching pressure modulation sequences as described above.
  • an appliance 101 transmits a series of high amplitude pressure modulation cycles to reset all addressing gears in the hydraulically connected network 113 114 (e.g. ratchet gear stacks 620 621 turned to a known start position).
  • these high pressure modulations can complete any incomplete transfers of stored bistable states to final implemented states (e.g. the transfer of stored bit state in 734 737 738 to valve stem 419 position).
  • the network and addressable elements are in a stable configuration with substantially all address gear stacks rotated to a known starting position.
  • an AM modulated pressure sequence is transmitted that reduces the AC amplitude of the pressure modulation over a sequence of cycles.
  • the AC pawl position 840 841 hits the amplitude limits imposed by internal motion limiter(s) 448 in DC removal block 303 and only experiences a fixed AC motion range in protocol sections 830 840 831 841.
  • elevation or flow related static pressure changes e.g. an open sprinkler causes a 5PSI drop over a long distance of network pipe
  • the adaptation operation 821 will re-center the DC-removal so that subsequent smaller amplitude pressure modulations will be interpreted correctly by the protocol receivers described in Figures 23 through 32.
  • a start pulse comprising a high-mid-high sequence 832 842 is transmitted by appliance 101. As a consequence substantially all address gear stacks are advanced if they are hydraulically connected to the appliance 101.
  • a sequence 833 843 of one or more mid-low-mid pulses are transmitted by the appliance to advance the address gears so that evaluation pins 635 are subsequently pushed past evaluation levers 731 741 in substantially all address gears hydraulically connected to appliance 101.
  • a pattern of high-low-high or high-mid-high pressure sequences 834 844 are transmitted by appliance 101 that match one or more
  • hydraulically connected address gears on hydraulic network 113 114 At the completion of the address transmission, one or more address gears in the hydraulically connected network 113 114 have selectively rotated their respective evaluation pins 635 ahead of all non-selected address gears in the hydraulically connected network 113 114.
  • a command pulse 835 845 comprising a high pressure level is transmitted by appliance 101 which has the effect of pushing all evaluation levers 731 of hydraulically connected devices; in the case where evaluation pins 635 of selected address gears are contacted, the bit state e.g. one of the two stable positions of mechanism 734 737 738 of the selected hydraulic devices is set or reset depending on the command and address gears selected in step 824.
  • the command pulse pressure can be raised substantially to generate more motive force to flip internal bit states stored in e.g. 734 737 738.
  • a sequence 836 846 of high amplitude power cycles is transmitted by appliance 101 with a first purpose of transferring the state(s) captured in step 825 to output means such as the position of a diverter ball valve stem 419 by way of a valve ratchet gear 770 and reciprocating pawls 772 773.
  • the high amplitude pressure cycles of this step act to reset all address wheels (selected and/or unselected in step 824) to a known starting state. Note that address gears on the network 113 114 that win the race will complete two full revolutions whereas address gears that lose the race (by mismatching the received address sequence) will only complete a single rotation over steps 820 to 826.
  • a pause can be inserted to allow for fluid delivery to one or more opened emitter ports 106 or in accordance with a fluid delivery schedule controlled by the appliance 101 (e.g.“all done for today”).
  • steps 826 and/or 827 can recycle to step 820 (if for some reason network state is expected to be unknown, e.g. re-opening a new hydraulic network branch 113 by a prior operation to change a diverter valve) or directly to step 821 in case network state is reasonably assumed.
  • the appliance 101 may implement additional checks and signaling (not shown) such as reducing the slew rate as the diverter ball valve changes state, checking for entrapped air, performing detailed leak analysis, executing“all off’ broadcast or multicast commands, etc. to both transition to a different branch (and hence different termination) and also prepare said newly opened branch for subsequent rapid and reliable communication and commands.
  • additional checks and signaling such as reducing the slew rate as the diverter ball valve changes state, checking for entrapped air, performing detailed leak analysis, executing“all off’ broadcast or multicast commands, etc.
  • Figure 35 shows a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a housing 870 has an input port 871 which can be connected to a hydraulic network 113 114.
  • a controllable output port 872 can be selected by hydraulic signaling of the type described above to enable and disable the flow of fluid from input port 871 to selected output port 872.
  • manual control buttons 873 and 874 can activate flow or deactivate flow.
  • Multiple outputs and corresponding manual control buttons 875 optionally share components within housing 870 (e.g. a single hydraulic actuator 301) to amortize cost, materials, components and complexity across a plurality of output ports.
  • output port 872 is preferentially comprised of a barb fitting for connection to 1 ⁇ 4” drip emitter tubing.
  • Figure 36 shows an alternative physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention comprising a housing 880, an input port 881 and a bypass port 882 for connection in a hydraulic branching network 113 114, at least one output port 883 that can be manually controlled by buttons 884 and 885.
  • output port 883 can be commanded by hydraulic network communication as described herein to activate and deactivate fluid flow from input port 881 or bypass port 882.
  • Additional output ports and associated manual controls 886 optionally share and amortize components across a plurality of output ports.
  • output ports 883 and equivalents are constructed to fit 1 ⁇ 2” poly or swing tubing with clamp, quick connect, press fit, threaded and/or barbed hydraulic connections to support simple connection to a variety of endpoints such as sprinkler heads, sprays, drip tape, bubblers or other similar irrigation endpoints.
  • Figure 37 shows a functional block diagram of a representative emitter valve 111 according to an embodiment of the invention comprising an input port 871 881 120 which is connected to a hydraulic actuator 121.
  • hydraulic connections are represented by solid lines and mechanical connections are represented by dotted lines.
  • Hydraulic actuator 121 creates a mechanical motion 122 in response to pressure changes at hydraulic input port 120. In a preferred embodiment, this mechanical motion 122 is approximately linearly related to the input hydraulic pressure at 120. Hydraulic actuator 121 generates a mechanical motion 122 over a large range of input pressures at 120. In a preferred embodiment, such input pressures at 120 may range from 10PSI to 90PSI. In an alternative embodiment, such pressures might range from 15PSI to 65PSI.
  • the signaling protocol of the present invention shown in Figures 33 and 34 and their descriptions preferentially requires only a fraction of the available pressure range, e.g. 35PSI peak-to-peak or alternatively 45PSI from peak-to-peak, leaving the remainder of the pressure range available for elevation induced and hydraulic flow induced pressure offsets.
  • emitter valves 111 are desirably insensitive to input pressure offsets; in an embodiment of the invention the mechanical motion 122 of hydraulic actuator 121 is passed through a DC removal mechanism 123 that adapts away DC pressure offsets present in the input pressure waveform and outputs an AC mechanical signal 124 that substantially only responds to the AC component of an incident pressure waveform at port 120.
  • the AC mechanical signal 124 is further passed to addressing pawls 125 that can selectively advance one or more address ratchet gears 127 in response to a prescribed sequence of AC motions 124 on address pawls 125.
  • Address ratchet gears 127 are turned preferentially so that, in the case of a unicast message reception, a selected address ratchet gear 127 will achieve a unique position 128 relative to all other non-selected address ratchet gears 127 reacting to the pressure modulation in the system.
  • the position 128 is evaluated by mechanism 129 using AC mechanical motion 124, effectively sampling a hydraulically transmitted state command mechanically.
  • the evaluation mechanism 129 can decode both an open command address ratchet gear 127 and a separate close command address ratchet gear 127.
  • these two separate address ratchet gears 127 are selectively advanced by two distinct address transmissions from an appliance 101 depending on the desired action (e.g. to open or to close an emitter port).
  • the open command sampling creates a mechanical motion 130 that releases an open catch 131 that, if the selected valve port is in the off state, was retaining a valve plunger 133 of a multiport diaphragm valve 135.
  • a spring and hydraulic pressure both push on valve plunger 133 causing it to pop open and activate a flow if open catch 131 is released.
  • a close catch 139 prevents the valve plunger 133 from reaching a close cam 142.
  • a close command received by address ratchet gears 127 is evaluated by mechanism 129 and releases close catch 139 which allows valve plunger 133 to engage cam 142.
  • a close ratchet gear 142 is able to be driven by close pawl 141 to rotate, causing a gradual return of the valve plunger 133 and diaphragm valve 135 to a closed state over a number of received hydraulic pressure cycles.
  • the close pawl 141 is driven by the raw hydraulic actuator 121 output prior to DC removal 123 in order to maximize the available closing power at 122 and minimize the mechanical load on said DC removal mechanism 123, preferentially simplifying its design.
  • a manual operation button for opening 145 can supply motion to open catch 131 and release one or more ports of the multiport diaphragm valve 135 to activate one or more output port flows at ports 144; in addition a close button 147 can press on one or more valve plungers 133 and restore them and the specific port or ports of the multiport diaphragm valve 135 to an off position.
  • input hydraulic source 120 is regulated to a lower pressure by pressure regulator 136 to generate a steady fluid pressure 137 which is then switched by multiport diaphragm valve 135 to create multiple output flows 144 with stable pressure.
  • the pressure regulator 136 is set to a low enough pressure so that the flow induced pressure drops and elevation change pressure drops are not transferred to output ports 144.
  • valve closing means 141 142 133 are mechanically driven by an AC mechanical signal 124 that is generated by a DC removal mechanism 123.
  • each output port 144 has an associated open button 145 with pin linkage 146. In an embodiment of the present invention, each output port 144 has an associated close button 147 with pin linkage 148. In an alternate embodiment, a subset or all of the output ports 144 can be closed with a single button 147 and single pin linkage 148.
  • Figure 38 shows a physical realization of the command evaluation and valve control mechanism of a representative emitter valve 111 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Address ratchet gears 127 160 162 rotate around axle 161.
  • address ratchet gear stacks 160 and 162 are selectively rotated by a pattern of high, mid and low pressure modulations extracted from the pressure waveform present at the hydraulic input 120.
  • an open address ratchet gear 162 has an evaluation pin (hidden in Figure 38) similar to pin 163 on address gear 160 that is evaluated by mechanism 129 by the AC pressure motion of evaluation arm 164 and the contact of evaluation lever 166 with the evaluation pin of address gear 162.
  • open catch 170 pivots around catch axle 171 which is also affixed to upper frame 172.
  • sheet diaphragm 177 is clamped between the upper frame 172 and a lower manifold frame 178 which has a central input port 179 and an encircling output channel 180 that feeds an output port 181.
  • plunger 176 is pressed sufficiently vertically down by spring 174 and retaining lever 173, the bottom face of plunger 176 will press against diaphragm material 177 vertically to seal and block the flow of fluid from orifice 179 to orifice 181.
  • the spring force developed by catch 170 holding the retaining lever 173 down, spring 174 and plunger 176 is sufficient to hold back an input pressure at orifice 179 well above the operating range of the hydraulic network 113 114 (e.g. 100PSI or 125PSI).
  • the spring force developed by spring 174 in a closed position is sufficient to hold back a pressure more than the limit imposed by pressure regulator 136 at point 137 in Figure 37.
  • when open catch 170 is released retaining lever 173, spring 174 and plunger 176 produce a sufficiently low force on diaphragm 177 that fluid can flow between input orifice 179 and output orifice 181 relatively unimpeded without significant pressure loss.
  • close catch 169 prevents a protrusion 184 of retaining lever 173 from contacting spiral close cam 185 which is attached to close ratchet gear 187 and rotates about axle 186.
  • close pawl 188 is pushed by a small spring (not shown) to constantly engage close ratchet gear 187.
  • close pawl 188 is driven vertically by a DC pressure motion 122 directly from hydraulic actuator 121 and will advance one tooth of close ratchet gear 187 per high-low pressure cycle about fixed axle 186 only when protrusion 184 and spiral cam 185 make friction contact sufficient to hold the close ratchet gear 187 against the return stroke of close pawl 188.
  • the advancing of close ratchet gear 187 and spiral cam 185 when protrusion 184 and cam 185 are in friction contact causes spiral cam 185 to push down on protrusion 184 and retaining lever 173 progressively on low-to-high pressure cycles,
  • spiral cam 185 is designed to have an increasing radius that has sufficient range of motion to increase the force on spring 174, plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 to overcome input water pressure seen at 137 and close the fluid flow between orifices 179 and 181.
  • the spiral cam 185 is further designed with sufficient range of motion to reset both the open catch 170 and close catch 169 within one full rotation or a fractional rotation. In this embodiment, if protrusion 184 and cam 185 are not in friction contact, close pawl 188 and close ratchet gear 185 will simply reciprocate with the direct motion 122 supplied by hydraulic actuator 121 and not advance spiral cam 185.
  • open pin 190 is positioned so that it can activate open catch 170 to release retaining lever 173 which reduces the force on compression spring 174, plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 allowing fluid flow between orifices 179 and 181.
  • close pin 189 is positioned to push retaining lever 173 into a re-latched position by applying force to retaining lever 173, compression spring 174, plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 which has the effect of blocking fluid flow between orifices 179 and 181.
  • open pin 190 and close pin 189 are mechanically driven by manual operation buttons 873 874 of Figure 35 or similar manual operation buttons 884 885 of Figure 36.
  • close address ratchet gear 160, evaluation lever 165, evaluation arm 192, close catch 169, spiral cam 185, close ratchet gear 187 and close pawl 188 are shared between many diaphragm valves within a multiport emitter valve 111 connecting a multitude of input orifices 179 to output orifices 181.
  • close address ratchet gear 160 is selectively advanced by a pressure sequence encoding a command to close all outputs, e.g. the eight outputs of the emitter valve of Figure 35, at the same time.
  • any output ports that had been opened will be closed by the pressure driven reciprocating motion 122 of a single close pawl 188 that advances a single close ratchet gear 187, turning a single spiral cam 185 against a multitude of protrusions 184 and retaining levers 173 (one per output).
  • the number of close mechanisms is more than one but different than the number of outputs.
  • the design decision of the number of close mechanisms can be influenced by many factors such as form factor, design complexity, cost, friction properties, number of pressure cycles required, available hydraulic power, AC pressure range, linearity of hydraulic actuator, etc. and as such is not required by the present teachings to be a specific ratio.
  • the hydraulic actuator output 122 is coupled to the close catches 139 169 so that if the input pressure is reduced below some absolute threshold (e.g. 5 PSI), the close catches 139 169 are triggered.
  • some absolute threshold e.g. 5 PSI
  • the de-pressurization of the network causes all opened emitter valve ports 144 to be placed into a pending close condition so that when the network is re-pressurized and high/low pressure cycles are applied, all open outputs will be ratcheted closed.
  • the motion of close pawl 188 and the spacing of close ratchet gear 187 teeth are chosen so that only a small AC modulation is necessary to advance close cam 185.
  • the network can be first depressurized to release the close catches 139 169 then cycled with relatively low pressure swings to close any open emitter valve 111 ports on the network 113 114 and restore emitter valves 111 to a closed state which allows the network to be run at higher pressures for the protocol signaling of the present teachings.
  • valves described herein may be a hydromechanical device, which may be addressable. Each valve may have a corresponding address.
  • the address for a valve may be unique to that valve for a given hydraulic network. For instance, no two valves within the hydraulic network may have the same address. Alternatively, two or more valves may have the same address when it is desired that they be controlled together.
  • the valves may include an address mechanism that may correspond to the address.
  • the address mechanism may be configured with the address.
  • the address may be physically encoded as part of the address mechanism.
  • the shape of the address mechanism may uniquely correspond to a given address.
  • the physical morphology of the address mechanism may be indicative of a given address.
  • the address mechanisms for valves with different addresses may have different shapes. For instance, one or more ratchets may be provided as described elsewhere herein, with teeth positioned to correspond to the address.
  • the address mechanisms may be advanced selectively.
  • the hydraulic pressure may cause the mechanism to be advanced, with aid of an actuator.
  • a state change may occur for the valve, which may affect the flow of a fluid within the valve immediately or after additional pressure sequences.
  • the state change may include whether one or more output ports of the valve are opened or closed. In some instances, the opening of the ports may be individually controlled. When the pressure sequences do not correspond to the address of a given valve, the state change may not occur at that valve.
  • Converting the positions of one or more selectively advanced address ratchet gears 160 162 into a mechanical trigger that then opens or closes some type of bistable fluid valve mechanism can take many forms utilizing many configurations of levers, arms, pins, cams, escapements, gears, slides, etc. operating on ball valves, pilot valves, gate vales, butterfly valves, etc. using springs, elastomers, pistons, bellows, alternative diaphragm arrangements, etc. to implement a means to control fluid flow.
  • the manual override of such open or closed valve state can take many forms other than buttons, e.g.
  • Figures 34 to 38 The specific design illustrated in Figures 34 to 38 is one of many possible implementations available to a designer with the benefit of the present teachings; the invention generally requires a means to convert one or more selectively addressed ratchet gear positions into stable mechanical states of a fluid control valve which can take many forms to those skilled in the art.
  • Such engineering choices can be driven by a multitude of factors, including materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, force requirements, speed, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, engineering familiarity, form factor, user experience and ease of field maintenance, among others.
  • a discrete set or analog state may be implemented using the methods of the present teachings.
  • a ball valve can be partially opened and left in that state using a shortened sequence of pressure cycles.
  • An emitter valve using ball valves may be partially opened to control fluid flow and the watering pattern of one or more sprinkler heads.
  • a diverter valve may be partially opened to simplify winterization blow out using compressed air.
  • a special command corresponding to another address ratchet gear stack can encode an operation such as“half open” or“all open” to facilitate such winterization or other desired operation.
  • the appliance 101 can pressurize the network and perform an automated (sensing from appliance 101) or visual check of the pressurized network as an installation step.
  • manual control of diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 is used to pressurize, test and flush each branch and output path 106 of the hydraulic network 113 114 106.
  • appliance 101 pressurizes network 113 114, isolates the network 113 114 and then monitors holding pressure with pressure sensor 237 or
  • the installer or user instructs (via smartphone app, web interface, etc.) the appliance 101 to start a network discovery and diagnostic process.
  • the appliance 101 has a list of all the diverter valve 112 addresses and emitter valve 111 addresses from device barcode or NFC scans and further may know which outputs of emitter valves 111 are configured with emitters 107 (as opposed to capped closed or left open).
  • the appliance 101 generates a series of tests of diverter valve 112 and emitter valve 111 addresses in addition to low absolute pressure clears and slow signaling to initialize terminations 104 and eliminate entrapped air in network 113 114.
  • the appliance 101 learns the topology (e.g. the branching location of diverter valves 112, the branch location of emitter valves 111) by measuring flows, pressure holding capability, termination state, reflections, termination cutoff frequencies, etc. by evaluating the complex response of the network to various supplied addresses, pressures and flows.
  • the multiport ball valve of diverter valves 112 is constructed so that it will connect input 300 to multiple outputs 343 344 transiently which will create a pressure and flow signature at the appliance 101 that indicates whether a particular diverter valve 112 address was received.
  • a simple linear search of diverter valve 112 addresses with detection of termination 104 and/or network capacity changes can determine the hierarchical location of all diverter valves 112 in the network relative to each other (i.e. parent-child relationships of diverters 112 in the network topology).
  • each branch configuration can be tested with emitter valve 111 addresses to determine which emitter valves 111 live on which network branches 113 114.
  • the appliance 101 can develop, over the course of many such trials, tests and measurements, a model of the logical layout of the network 113 114 so that future irrigation commands (e.g.
  • opening a particular port of a particular emitter valve 111) can be translated into a sequence of diverter valve 112 commands to activate the appropriate branches of hydraulic network 113 114 and emitter valve 111 commands to open or close the desired port(s).
  • a diagnostic report is generated for an installer and/or user after a discovery operation giving an inventory and status of all discovered network elements and any potentially missing or malfunctioning devices.
  • a network branch 113 114 blowout of a segment triggers a smartphone notification and/or the automatic isolation of a branch or subnet of the overall branching network 113 114 until repairs can be made by an installer or user.
  • the appliance 101 learns any topology changes (if diverter valves 112 are changed or emitter valves 111 are added, deleted or moved to different branches) and updates the logical routing to emitter valves 111 and incorporates any load changes (e.g. a 1 GPH drip emitter replaced with a 10 GPH string of drip emitters) indicated by re-association or onboarding parameter changes.
  • any load changes e.g. a 1 GPH drip emitter replaced with a 10 GPH string of drip emitters
  • valves such as the number and location of network ports, the number and location of emitter ports, the position and sizes of buttons or other manual controls, the location and scanning method (barcode, NFC, etc.) of an identifier that corresponds to the specific address(es) of the valve core, the installed depth of the connection ports (e.g. emitter outputs higher or lower than network connections), and the integration of self-sealing shutoff valves, plugs and/or caps integrated or installed into a base or valve.
  • Such configuration choices shown in Figures 16, 20, 23, 35 and 36 are for illustrative purposes and do not limit the scope of the present teachings.
  • valve base 801, gasket/diaphragm 802, valve core 800 and cover 975 can be modified in many ways, such as with a screw lid and/or locking mechanism and cleanout ports to aid field serviceability. Such modifications and permutations are within the scope of the present teachings.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Game Theory and Decision Science (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Marine Sciences & Fisheries (AREA)
  • Agronomy & Crop Science (AREA)
  • Development Economics (AREA)
  • Primary Health Care (AREA)
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
  • Operations Research (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Pipeline Systems (AREA)

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods for a hydraulic network of addressable valves are provided. An irrigation appliance preferably transmits hydraulic pressure modulations to one or more networks of hydraulically addressable valves which can be selectively operated uniquely or in subsets by incident pressure modulation sequences. The irrigation appliance preferably transmits additional pressure modulations to a network of hydraulically addressable devices to deliver motive force for the mechanical operation in response to pending selected state changes. The irrigation appliance can furthermore discover network topology, monitor operation, detect faults, isolate faulty networks and devices, and generate reports and notifications using sensors and algorithms in conjunction with cloud services, smartphone apps and web interfaces. Additionally, the irrigation appliance can integrate user data such as needs, goals and constraints, historical and runtime sensor data, weather data from local and network sources to generate a valve schedule that optimizes water delivery and minimizes waste.

Description

HYDRAULIC COMMUNICATION NETWORK AND IRRIGATION SYSTEM
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] This application claims the priority and benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/662,793 filed on April 26, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/820,503 filed on March 19, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Irrigation technology has improved over the years to reduce waste and optimize plant health and crop yield. Many water saving inventions (drip irrigation, weather-aware smart controllers among many others) were originally developed for agriculture and later deployed into residential and commercial landscape irrigation systems.
[0003] However, traditional landscape irrigation systems fail to accommodate the largely heterogeneous nature of residential and commercial landscapes. Such landscape irrigation systems fail to operate at a specific level that will promote individual plant health or
accommodate different goals for different zones that reach a high level of granularity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A need exists for systems and methods for providing an irrigation system that may operate in robust and individually controllable manner. A further need exists for a hydraulic communication network and irrigation system with pressure sequence addressable valves that may be controlled by a central irrigation appliance.
[0005] An aspect of the invention is directed to a method for controlling flow of a fluid within a hydraulic network with aid of an addressable hydromechanical device, said method comprising: receiving, at the hydromechanical device, an input hydraulic pressure sequence; selectively advancing an address mechanism of the hydromechanical device in response to the hydraulic pressure sequence, wherein the address mechanism is configured with an address for the hydromechanical device; and permitting a state change that controls the flow of the fluid when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device.
[0006] Further aspects of the invention are directed to an addressable hydromechanical device comprising: an input port configured to receive an input hydraulic pressure; an address mechanism configured to selectively advance in response to the hydraulic pressure, wherein the address mechanism is configured with an address for the hydromechanical device; and a state change mechanism that controls the flow of the fluid within the hydromechanical device, wherein a state change is permitted when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device. [0007] A system for controlling fluid flow within a hydraulic network may be provided in accordance with additional aspects of the invention. The system may comprise: an irrigation appliance for generating one or more pressure sequences within the hydraulic network; one or more pipes configured to convey the one or more pressure sequences; and at least one
termination of the one or more pipes configured to absorb hydraulic pressure transients.
[0008] Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present disclosure. As will be realized, the present disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0009] All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:
[0011] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0012] Figure 2 shows a physical realization of a representative irrigation appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0014] Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a representative fertigation module for use in an irrigation appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0015] Figure 5 shows an embodiment of a hydraulic termination based on a substantially linearized hydraulic resistor according to an embodiment of the invention. [0016] Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a representative hydraulically addressable valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] Figure 7 shows a physical realization and cross section of a hydraulic actuator according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0018] Figure 8 shows a mechanical design of a multiport valve hydraulic actuator mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0019] Figure 9 shows a mechanical design of a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0020] Figure 10 shows an addressing pawl mechanism with a pawl guide shown and not shown according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0021] Figure 11 shows a selective advance ratchet addressing gear stack with high and low pawls and gears according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0022] Figure 12 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform for advancing a ratchet gear address receiving mechanism and a corresponding mechanical motion waveform of ratcheting pawl position according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0023] Figure 13 shows an opening mechanism and valve state storage mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0024] Figure 14 shows a closing mechanism and valve state storage mechanisms according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0025] Figure 15 shows a multiport diaphragm valve construction according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0026] Figure 16 shows a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] Figure 17 shows a hydraulic communication protocol flow chart for selectively addressing hydraulic devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0028] Figure 18 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0029] Figure 19 shows an onboarding flow chart for installing, operating and amending an irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0030] Figure 20 shows an installed view of a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0031] Figure 21 shows a block diagram of a representative hierarchical fluid distribution system according to an embodiment of the invention. [0032] Figure 22 shows a block diagram of a representative appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0033] Figure 23 shows a physical realization of a representative diverter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0034] Figure 24 shows a block diagram of a representative diverter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0035] Figure 25 shows a physical realization of a diverter valve with a hydraulic actuator and spring according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0036] Figure 26 shows an alternative view of a physical realization of a diverter valve including a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0037] Figure 27 shows a two-dimensional top view of a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0038] Figure 28 shows a simplified view of a DC removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0039] Figure 29 shows a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0040] Figure 30 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform for advancing a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0041] Figure 31 shows a command evaluation and state storage mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0042] Figure 32 shows a bidirectional ratchet gear mechanism for turning a ball valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0043] Figure 33 shows a protocol flow chart for selectively addressing hydraulic devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0044] Figure 34 shows a pressure waveform and AC pawl position waveform of a
representative valve activation sequence according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0045] Figure 35 shows a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0046] Figure 36 shows an alternative physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] Figure 37 shows a block diagram of a representative emitter valve according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0048] Figure 38 shows a physical realization of the command evaluation and valve control mechanism of a representative emitter valve according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0049] Each of the additional features and teachings disclosed below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved irrigation systems and methods for designing and using the same. Representative examples of the present invention, which examples utilize many of these additional features and teachings both separately and in combination, will now be described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings.
This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detail description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the present teachings.
[0050] Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings. In addition, it is expressly noted that all features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. It is also expressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.
[0051] Systems and methods are provided for landscape irrigation. A hydraulic network may be utilized to provide instructions to individually addressable hydromechanical devices in order to control the flow of fluid within the hydraulic network. The hydraulic network may also be used to provide fluid to various portions of a landscape.
[0052] Crop and landscape irrigation presently account for over 80% of the fresh water consumption in the US. Irrigation technology has improved over the years to reduce waste and optimize plant health and crop yield. Many water saving inventions (drip irrigation, weather- aware smart controllers among many others) were originally developed for agriculture and later deployed into residential and commercial landscape irrigation systems.
[0053] Landscape irrigation can present unique challenges compared to agricultural irrigation. Outside of sports fields and gold courses, landscaping is generally heterogeneous compared to agriculture; a wide variety of plant species at different growth stages compounded with a variety of soil, wind and lighting conditions often conspire to make landscape irrigation design and implementation complex even before considering water use efficiency. Due to cost and technology limitations, the number of solenoid valves and watering zones (stations) for a typical residential or commercial landscape irrigation system is often constrained to be around ten or twenty whereas the typical number of potentially unique irrigation needs (e.g. a young tree, a shady part of the lawn, new tomato plants, a bush under an eave that receives less rain than its immediate neighbors) might easily number over a hundred. A common pattern has arisen in landscape design wherein plants with hopefully similar water needs are grouped together and irrigated with a single large zone valve that drives many emitters. However, such rigid plant grouping rules and shared scheduling present serious tradeoffs both at initial installation and as the landscaping matures. A newly planted tree should get infrequent deep watering to encourage deep roots; if it is installed within a patch of turf grass that requires much more frequent surface irrigation the conventional approach will lead to a tree with shallow roots making the tree susceptible to wind, drought and disease later in life. Furthermore, as landscaping matures (e.g. new plants are brought in that don’t match the original zone design intent, tree canopies widen, shady areas grow differently than sunny areas of the same watering zone, etc.) the watering needs can often shift dramatically.
[0054] A consequence of the coarse-grained irrigation partitioning afforded by typical solenoid zone systems is that each zone irrigation is ideally scheduled to meet the minimum needs of the thirstiest plant of the zone; as a result, in an ideally scheduled system the wettest parts of a zone are typically overwatered, often significantly (e.g. twice as much as necessary). Irrigation uniformity has often been advanced as a design goal of agricultural and large turf golf/athletic field irrigation systems; implicit in the goal of perfecting uniformity is the belief that water delivery uniformity leads to the optimal plant outcome (e.g. crop yield, turf uniformity, etc.). However, in highly heterogeneous microclimate and mixed-maturity landscaping situations, irrigation should ideally be based on the fine-grained plant needs to reach a desired outcome; such needs and outcomes can be highly non-uniform. Irrigation mismatch often becomes more pronounced as the landscaping matures and the irrigation equipment experiences soft failure modes (e.g. leaks, partial clogging, non-catastrophic damage such as tilted spray heads, etc.). New plantings (annuals, vegetable gardens, etc.) that are grafted onto a carefully designed zone irrigation setup often unbalance the system as well creating significant problems for landscape maintainers that involve rebalancing flow rates by tuning sprinklers, changing out drip emitters for higher or lower flow, repartitioning zones or augmenting in-ground irrigation with garden hoses and hand watering. [0055] Another important difference of landscaping compared to agriculture is that optimal plant outcomes are often more complicated than maximizing crop yield or farm economics. A property owner may want to encourage deep root growth for a recently planted tree but then may desire to dial back the canopy growth rate as the tree reaches a desired height. Achieving peak growth rates of shrubs can increase pruning maintenance and result in more frequent re- plantings. Turf grass can require substantially more mowing if it is watered to achieve peak growth as opposed to achieving a desired aesthetic, plant health and/or re-sodding interval goal(s).
[0056] Irrigation on hillsides presents a set of additional challenges to the designer that are less common in agriculture; pressure changes due to elevation differences require significant design expertise and equipment costs to mitigate. Hillside irrigation can require specialized equipment like pressure regulators, check valves, auxiliary boost pumps and relief valves as well as burdening the design process with detailed hydraulic calculations and strict pipe layout rules (e.g. laterals must run across a slope).
[0057] Conventional coarsely zoned solenoid valve systems are often designed to run mainline and lateral pipes at or close to their design limits for water flow velocity to minimize pipe diameters and materials cost. For many competitive bid scenarios, contractors are not incentivized to reserve any hydraulic capacity in their designs, installing systems that are initially functional but have little or no design or expansion margin. Such systems are very difficult to adapt to future landscaping requirements encountered when adding or replacing plants, adjusting for growth rates of existing plants and/or adjusting for changes in climate. If a subsequent contractor attempts to extend such a minimally viable irrigation system they can inadvertently create pressure and flow imbalances within a zone, depriving existing plants and creating reliability issues in the full system by exceeding pipe flow velocity limits and/or creating susceptibility to pressure spikes.
[0058] Many landscape watering installations have a manual system shutoff valve and a single layer of electronically controlled solenoid valves (often grouped in one or more banks) with long runs of parallel in-ground pipes and/or wires carrying gated water and/or control signals; such in- ground routing hardware is expensive to procure and decommission (economically and ecologically), disruptive and expensive to install (e.g. deeper trenches are often required for mainline pipes and wires), difficult to debug/repair (e.g. pipes/wires can all look the same) and raise the probability and severity of system failures (e.g. constantly pressurized underground mainline pipes, joints and manifolds can leak significantly without any surface indication).
Valves, pipes, backflow devices, drainage devices, emitters, wiring, etc. can all degrade over time due to materials failures, exposure, manufacturing flaws, wear, hydraulic pressure spikes (water hammer), biologic activity (pets, pests, algae, roots, humans, etc.), impurities in source water (e.g. mineral buildup, sand, etc.) and physical damage (mowers, rakes, trimmers, shovels, soccer balls, etc.). Detecting and locating such failures in conventional systems often requires significant time and specialized equipment. The costs of detecting and locating problems can easily exceed the cost of fixing said problems; as such, slow steady leaks are often tolerated and not repaired.
[0059] Underground leaks are estimated to account for over 10% of all water consumed in landscape irrigation. In conventional solenoid valve irrigation setups, the below-grade landscape irrigation mainline distribution piping and the inputs of all solenoid valves are constantly pressurized; there can easily be hundreds of buried hand assembled joints that are susceptible to a multitude of failure modes. Slow leaks can easily be both significant from a cumulative water waste perspective and simultaneously too low to be sensed by conventional irrigation flow meters. As homeowners increasingly opt for drought resistant landscaping, the overall impact of mainline and chronic valve leaks as a percentage of total water use will increase. Such chronic slow leaks add up to a consequential fraction of a municipal water system’s pumping capacity, wasting both energy and water.
[0060] Even above-ground equipment failures can often go unnoticed for weeks or months since they typically rely on a human to observe the failure firsthand and many irrigation controllers are set to run at night or early in the morning to minimize evaporative or wind related water losses. Many local governments have mandated irrigation windows (e.g. midnight to 8am) to minimize pumping energy costs and/or evaporative/wind losses. Sometimes secondary effects of malfunctioning irrigation components are noticeable well after irrigation (e.g. puddles, extreme runoff) for catastrophic failures, e.g. a blown popup sprinkler, but many failures modes (slow leaks, inadequate coverage, drip emitter clogs, inadequate pressure, under-mulch drip non uniformity) are very challenging to identify even with a human observer available at irrigation runtime. In many cases, drip failures are only discovered well after the plant shows signs of water stress or disease, and remedies are often applied too late to save the plant.
[0061] Furthermore, to adjust irrigation in conventional systems manually (e.g. by swapping out drip emitters to rebalance a zone or boost pressure, tuning a spray sprinkler for angular or distance coverage, etc.) the irrigation system must be actively watering and the maintainer will become wet and/or muddy. Consequently, intra-zone adjustments are typically only made infrequently when the maintainer is properly outfitted for wet work, well after plant problems are first noticed. The reliance of conventional irrigation systems on infrequent and imprecise observation and often human-to-human coordination (between the observer (e.g. property owner) and fixer (e.g. landscaping crew)) is a significant factor in landscape irrigation inefficiency, cost and waste.
[0062] A consequence of the high per-zone trench, pipe and wire routing expense of
conventional solenoid valve technology is seen in the hydraulic sizing of conventional irrigation systems. Zones are often made hydraulically large (e.g. large pipes with many emitter heads per zone) to keep the zone count low and minimize the amount of wiring and mainline required (each zone typically requires a dedicated wire and uses a shared common wire to a central controller). It is entirely possible to build a fine-grain low flow irrigation system with e.g. 100 zones running at 1/5*11 the peak flow rate using conventional solenoid technology, but the added costs of mainline pipe, deeper trenching (for a longer mainline), wires, controller, valves and valve boxes would far outweigh the benefit of the smaller diameter pipes. Inexpensive irrigation systems tend to tilt the other way, running near the flow limit of the water supply (e.g. 15 gallons per minute for a residence/municipality) which often runs counter to conservation - copper wire, valve count and net install cost are minimized with the downsides of larger zones and larger pipes. Having many heads scheduled together in a large zone can exacerbate the gap between delivery pattern and plant requirements, often resulting in longer runtimes to get the dry areas wet enough and consequently wasting significant water by overwatering other areas covered by the same zone valve.
[0063] Supporting such large hydraulic flows requires large diameter plastic pipes and thick pipe walls; 1.5” Class 200 PVC pipe weighs approximately 2.7 times as much as 3/4” Class 200 PVC pipe for the same length. Large residences with conventionally high peak flow rates can easily require over lOOOlbs of PVC irrigation pipe to support conventionally sized zones. PVC plastic is not generally recycled and upon decommissioning most commonly goes to a landfill. Plastic waste often takes thousands of years to break down and presents long term environmental and sustainability challenges.
[0064] To keep pipe sizes as small as possible but still large enough to handle the required flow, irrigation installers and maintainers must have access to a multitude of pipe and joint fittings as a single system can have upwards of 3 or 4 different pipe diameters. The combinatorially large number of fittings (e.g. ¾” slip tee with a ½” FPT riser port) becomes a significant burden for manufacturers, distributors and contractors to produce, procure, stock and transport.
[0065] Even with a limited number of high flow zones, conventional solenoid controllers can present a confusing and difficult to maintain interface for property owners and maintainers to install, adapt and transfer. From provisioning/setup at installation through adjustments (landscape maintainer or owner, e.g. seasonal tweaks, new plants, a brown patch of lawn, etc.) and transfer from property seller to property buyer, the information about layout, historical needs, plant history, hydraulic design limits and control of the network is often lost and needs be rediscovered multiple times during a system’s life.
[0066] Landscape often requires supplemental nutrients; in most landscape installations this is done using manually applied liquid or granule fertilizers. The application of such fertilizers is often imprecise, infrequent, overdone and expensive, leading to both nutrient deprived landscape and runoff/ground water contamination. Combined fertilizer and irrigation systems, commonly used in agriculture (known as fertigation), are much better at supplying the right dose at the right time for optimal commercial outcomes with minimal waste and least environmental impact but such systems are rare in landscape applications due to the heterogeneity of the installed plants, lack of integration and coordination with irrigation controllers, and the coarse-grained nature of typical solenoid valve-based delivery systems.
[0067] Conventional mainline and lateral pipes are manufactured to handle significant transient overpressure surges. When a water flow is quickly stopped or started the momentum of the water in the pipes can create significant pressure spikes (e.g. double the baseline pressure or more) that can propagate as shock waves throughout a pipe network and commonly cause underground pipe joint blowouts as well as slow crack growth leaks. To prevent such failures, pipe and joint wall thicknesses are overdesigned to tolerate some amount of pressure spike. This costly compromise between the safety of additional pipe thickness versus the probability of costly underground repairs is an unfortunate consequence of conventional irrigation technology and design practices which have difficulty limiting water hammer - conventional irrigation pilot valve solenoids like to slam shut and valve design mitigations to reduce such slams often are fragile and experience soft failures that can mushroom into long term pipe reliability issues.
[0068] One approach to reduce the amount of copper wiring has been to use a two-wire communication protocol that eliminates a thick home-run wire for every valve. Two-wire valves electronically decode signaling waveforms that uniquely address each valve and draw power from the two wires to energize the solenoid valves. In large area installations, such wire-for- electronics tradeoff can reduce costs, but for most residential and small commercial landscaping installations such solutions are still cost prohibitive. Wiring is often a point of entry for moisture and corrosion in solenoid valves; sealing wired connections and having intact insulation is a challenge to guarantee for installers; system failures (e.g. zone doesn’t activate) often manifest years after installation due to the long-term corrosion brought on by tiny gaps in insulation and wiring from improper insulation. [0069] Radio operated valves have been available for many years to mitigate wiring costs and adaptability. In certain scenarios (e.g. high value crops, physical access limitations, large valve spacing, grafting new zones onto an existing system) radio operated remote valves can provide significant enough benefits to justify their costs. They are rarely used in conventional new- install landscape situations due to cost, aesthetic and maintenance requirements. To minimize power requirements, such valves often latch the open/closed state and if power is lost can generate a“stuck open” fault. Wireless electronics require environmentally robust housings, power sources and energy storage (e.g. solar, batteries, etc.), antennas and network infrastructure (e.g. access points or gateways) and most often require battery replacement every few years. Sealed housings that can protect against moisture intrusion yet are not an impediment for battery replacement are challenging to design and costly to manufacture. For an installation with many uniquely controlled endpoints, wireless solutions are usually cost prohibitive, relatively unreliable and often create aesthetic challenges (antennas and solar cells often need to be placed high above the ground for reliable operation).
[0070] In certain locales, the copper wiring used for controlling solenoid valves and two wire decoders can present a lightning hazard and requires special care and additional expense to mitigate strike risks and damages.
[0071] Purely hydraulic valve control (i.e., using small additional pipes for hydraulic control signals to remote valves) are known in the art and have been successfully deployed but are not popular in most regions due to cost, control and maintenance issues.
[0072] Another class of hydraulically controlled irrigation valves may progress through a sequence of outputs or branches in a branching network. These may be referred to as indexing valves or sequential switching networks, these generally close one output and open another triggered by a simple on/off modulation of source pressure. Such sequenced valve systems suffer from many deficiencies. For example, the sequence order is usually fixed and the controller modulating the line pressure has no indication which pathway is currently open; as such controlling watering intervals specifically per output path is not supported. Additionally, the proper operation of such systems is often dependent on all valves in the system behaving correctly - if a valve misbehaves it can often disable a large portion of the remaining network (e.g. a failure to close). Such systems generally need a minimum running flow rate to support operation (often many GPM) and are generally incompatible with low flow drip irrigation endpoints. The sequence of valve changing steps can also be disrupted by water hammer effects, either suppressing advances or creating extra advances (typically resulting one zone getting double water and/or the skipped zone getting nothing). Furthermore, such systems are often intolerant to clogs and intentional closes (e.g. a clogged line or a temporarily capped spigot) and can fail to advance or damage equipment (e.g. a pump) under certain scenarios. For example, indexing valves need to be configured at installation with the correct number of active ports; leaving any port open or closed (e.g. for future expansion or by accidental clog or rupture) either generates huge waste flow or prevents the valve from advancing. Such systems generally are small (less than ten zones) as they do not scale particularly well. Modifying such systems to add, split or cap off zones is also generally difficult (e.g. requires new components to be procured and installed).
[0073] A still further class of hydraulically controlled irrigation valves may permit variable sequencing order and unique addressing of hydraulically activated valves using sequential one- hot signaling and/or linear addressing to select one valve out of many. In one-hot and/or linear addressing, the number of unique addresses is substantially linear with the number of encoded bits or information units (e.g. pressure pulses). Such systems have not been popular due to the practically limited number of valves intrinsic in the addressing scheme (e.g. typically ten to twenty valves with one-hot or progressive addressing), the onboarding and install complexity (e.g. manually setting an address mechanically per valve at installation, ensuring there are no duplicate addresses at a site), the operational requirement for particular hydraulic loads (e.g. outputs cannot be fully closed off, as with index valves), the lack of elevation tolerance, the low signaling speed, the sensitivity to water hammer effects (causing noise, pipe cycle stress failures, joint failures, selection corruption, etc.), aesthetics, mechanical bulk, hydraulic capacity, system cost, emitter granularity and the lack of future adaptability (e.g. adding another valve or network section years after initial installation). Such systems also often discard backflow water on high- to-low pressure transitions (i.e. dump excess fluid to a drain at a valve or a central controller that results from depressurizing the network while signaling valves) and hence have difficulty meeting modem conservation goals.
[0074] Hydraulically activated valves have also conventionally suffered from the inability of the system to react to faults or alert an operator/maintainer to a problem such as a valve failing to open, a sprinkler head blowout or a clog/blockage.
[0075] Systems and methods are provided herein for controlling fluid flow within a hydraulic network. The hydraulic network may provide highly controllable irrigation to surrounding landscape. A high level of granularity may advantageously be provided in order to optimize individual plant health. The systems and methods described herein may provide a network of pipes and valves that can be independently activated and deactivated by an irrigation appliance.
A hydraulic communication protocol may be used between an irrigation appliance and a hydraulic network of valves using time-varying pressure levels to discover, address, control, monitor and verify operation of a network of pipes, valves and output emitters. A hydraulic communication protocol may encode a combinatorically large address space to enable both large numbers of addressable devices and easy installation.
[0076] The systems and methods provided herein may include a hydromechanical digital receiver that can decode a sequence of pressure levels and implement a command operation.
Such a hydraulically addressable device can extract motive power to implement mechanical operations from incident pressure variations. Such a hydraulically addressable valve can be activated and deactivated without releasing any water or requiring any static flow to operate.
[0077] The systems and methods provided herein may advantageously provide a network of pipes, valves and emitters that reduce installation cost, complexity and ecological burden through the elimination of in-ground control wiring, the use of smaller uniform diameter pipes and the use of recyclable pipe materials while significantly increasing the number of zones that can be centrally controlled. A hydraulically addressable valve may be provided that can be installed at or below grade to minimize the potential for damage and improve aesthetics of an irrigation system. A network of such hydraulically controllable valves can advantageously detect leaks, provide fault isolation and notify property owners or maintainers of such faults. A network of pipes, valves and emitters can advantageously support incremental modifications without significant knowledge of the existing hydraulic network.
[0078] Furthermore, systems and methods as described herein may provide a network of pipes, valves and emitters that natively controls water hammer effects to reduce both pipe costs and the probability of costly repairs while increasing signaling and control communication rates. A network of pipes, valves and emitters and associated hydraulic communications scheme as described herein may be relatively insensitive to elevation differences, supporting hillside irrigation installations without significant design consideration or equipment overhead compared to flat installations.
[0079] The systems and methods provided herein may allow a network of pipes, valves and emitters to provide precise and fine-grained fertigation. A method of installation may be provided that supports rapid onboarding of many addressable valves and uses automatic valve discovery to learn, model, validate, monitor, track and diagnose the system. A method for communicating with an irrigation system may be provided, comprising an irrigation appliance and one or more networks of pipes, valves and emitters using a smartphone and/or cloud services to afford remote operation, storage, system backup, control, monitoring, parameter adjustments, data entry, sensor and/or performance data logging, security, access privilege management, workflow management, alerts, notifications and data transfer. A multiport hydraulic valve apparatus may be provided that can be easily installed, flushed, tested, onboarded and
maintained.
[0080] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a representative example of a pressure controlled irrigation network according to an embodiment of the invention. An irrigation system may comprise a source pipe 100 supplying water to an irrigation appliance 101 which, among other things, drives a network of distribution pipes 102 105 110 connected to valves 103 which are arranged to switch water flow to one or more valve outputs 106 which convey water to emitters 107 108 109 such as pop-up sprinkler heads, bubblers or drip line, among many others. In an embodiment of the invention, pipes 102 (dotted lines) and 105 110 (solid lines) are of the same type and construction. In a further embodiment, pipes 102 105 110 have an inner diameter between 0.4 inches and 2.0 inches. In a further embodiment, pipes 102, 105 and 110 are ¾” standard inside diameter ratio (SIDR) 15 - high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe that are joined using welded, glued, threaded, barbed, press-fit, twist locked and/or clamped tees, elbows and couplers to form the hydraulic pipe network 102 105 110. The pipes may share one or more characteristics, such as inner diameter, outer diameter, thickness, materials, length, shapes, or other features. In some instances, one or more characteristics of the various pipes may be different as needed. As is well known in the art, the specific choice of pipe components can depend on many factors like cost, availability, reliability, materials, temperature range, ecological footprint, toxicity, chemical compatibility, tools and/or installer familiarity. The present teachings apply generally to all hydraulic networks independent of pipe and joint types; while some hydraulic components may be better suited to maximizing the utility and benefits of the present teachings, any pipe and any joint construction method may be used to practice the invention. As such the invention is not particularly limited by choice of pipe or joint technology.
[0081] The pipes as provided in the irrigation may serve one or more purposes. For instance, the pipes may be used for both communications and transmission of fluids to emitters that may deliver the fluid to a surrounding landscape. The same fluid (e.g., water) that is used to water the surrounding landscape may be used for communication that controls flow within the network of pipes.
[0082] In an embodiment of the invention, pressure pipe 102 (dotted lines) segments can be used as a hydraulic transmission line with substantially uniform hydraulic impedance over its length that supports the rapid propagation of pressure waves for considerable distances without substantial pressure wave shape degradation. In an embodiment, a hydraulic transmission line 102 is driven by irrigation appliance 101 with a signaling pressure wave. The signaling pressure wave may travel along the hydraulic transmission line 102. The signaling pressure wave may be received by one or more valves 103 along the hydraulic transmission line 102. A hydraulic transmission line 102 may be terminated at or near the end of its length with a termination 104 that matches the hydraulic impedance of the pressure pipe 102. In this embodiment, termination 104 substantially absorbs incident hydraulic pressure wave transients, minimizing reflected pressure waves. In a further embodiment, hydraulic transmission line termination 104 is an alternating current (AC) termination that presents a stable matched impedance above a designed cutoff frequency and for a desired range of pressure amplitudes. By substantially suppressing the reflection of pressure waves within hydraulic transmission line 102, a high bandwidth hydraulic communication channel can be established between irrigation appliance 101 and one or more valves 103 that achieves both pressure signal integrity and high signaling bandwidth relative to an unterminated hydraulic network.
[0083] In a further embodiment, short branching spurs of pressure pipe 105 110 (solid lines) that do not significantly load or impair the signal integrity of pressure waves on hydraulic
transmission line 102 are preferentially not required to be terminated. In a further embodiment, irrigation appliance 101, hydraulic transmission line pipes 102, spur and branch pipes 105 110, joints and emitter valves 103 are selected and/or constructed to keep the aggregate hydraulic impedance encountered by propagating pressure waves in a bounded range (e.g. +/- 10% or +/- 30% from ideal) so that terminations 104 are reasonably effective in suppressing hydraulic pressure wave distortions, ringing and/or reflections. In a further embodiment, spurs and branches 105 110 are a different pipe diameter and/or impedance than the hydraulic transmission line pipe 102 to provide desired effects such as minimizing loading on hydraulic transmission lines 102.
[0084] In an embodiment of the invention, the transmission line(s) 102 and spur pipe branching network(s) 105 110 are populated with many valves 103 which, with the benefit of the present teachings, can be constructed to have one or more individually selectable output ports 106 that drive irrigation emitters 107, blocked outputs 108 or open outputs 109.
[0085] An irrigation appliance 101 may transmit a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals over hydraulic network 102 105 110 that are received and decoded by valves 103, such sequences encoding operational commands to open a specific output port 106 or close a subset of ports, for example. In a further embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 transmits a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals that are additionally used as a mechanical power source by valves 103 to implement decoded state changes, e.g. opening or closing one or more desired valve output ports 106. [0086] In a further embodiment, an irrigation appliance 101 is preferentially capable of precise flow measurements and continuous pressure modulation. Such controls and associated sensors are preferentially used to provide detailed flow and pressure characterization data that quantify the states, functionality and characteristics of pipe network 102 105 110, valves 103 and emitters 107 (including open 108 and sealed 109 ports). Such data is preferentially used by the irrigation appliance 101 to confirm valve 103 state changes, confirm proper receipt of transmitted commands, perform detailed system diagnostics (e.g. irrigation appliance 101 subsystem functional checks), determine the presence of trapped air in the network 102 105 110, discover and/or confirm addressable devices 103 on a network 102 105 110, perform leak detection and isolation in the hydraulic network 102 105 110, perform valve output 106 load characterization (i.e. flow vs. pressure for emitters 107 108 109) and perform historical comparisons to identify broken emitters and/or clogs and track cumulative delivered water per output port 106. In an embodiment of the invention, the flow for each valve output 106 is characterized periodically and a historical model can be built and validated by the irrigation appliance 101 and associated app and cloud services (not shown).
[0087] In practice, non-ideal conditions such as incomplete installations, trapped air, unknown network devices, restrictions in pipes (e.g. kinks or compression), invasive roots, debris, clogs, manual valve state changes as well as pipe, joint and valve failures may contribute to substantial variations in transmission line 102 impedance and hence reduce termination 104 effectiveness and signal integrity. In a further embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 can automatically determine such network non-idealities using detailed static and transient flow and pressure characterization of the network (e.g. characterizing reflections, high frequency channel responses, determining low frequency capacitance variations below the cutoff of the AC terminations, sending multicast packets to search for devices, etc.). In a further embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 is able to mitigate the effects of such non-idealities by reducing pressure modulation slew rate, varying pressure modulation amplitude, compensating for channel characteristics by modifying waveshape and/or timing, isolating damaged networks 102 105 110, commanding air venting (e.g. through a hydraulically addressable air vent in termination 104 or a selected hydraulically distant valve 103), tuning termination (e.g. through a hydraulically tunable termination 104), generating user alerts and/or requesting adjustments, actions and/or repairs (e.g. replacing or manually flushing a termination 104).
[0088] In a further embodiment, flow data for emitters 107 108 109 is used by the irrigation appliance 101 to determine which valve 103 ports may be opened simultaneously without exceeding the flow capability of input source 100, irrigation appliance 101, hydraulic pipe network 102 105 110 or valves 103. In this embodiment, the aggregate flow from any valve port 106 is constrained at installation to not exceed the capacity of the input source 100, irrigation appliance 101, valve 103 and pipe network 102 105 110. In a further embodiment, maximum permissible emitter flow is constrained to be between 1 to 10 gallons per minute (GPM). In a further embodiment, the pipe 102 105 110 sizes, valve 103 and emitter 107 sizes are chosen to have compatible flow capacities which minimizes material cost and component variety.
[0089] In a nominal valve control operation of the invention, the irrigation appliance 101 modulates hydraulic pressure at two or more levels to transmit a binary addressed command packet that is received by all valves 103 that are hydraulically connected to irrigation appliance
101 within a selected hydraulic transmission line network 102. The irrigation appliance 101 preferentially has knowledge of the correspondence between valve 103 binary addresses and network(s) 102 so that it can rapidly select a given network 102 (if more than one) and communicate with an intended valve 103.
[0090] In an embodiment shown in Figure 1, valves 103 can be arranged to connect to a hydraulic transmission line 102 either by passing the network connection (i.e. the network 102 runs through the valve 103), using two connections or alternatively attaching at the end of a spur 105 110 with a single network port. In a preferred embodiment, a two-port network connection in the base of valve 103 is preferentially configured so that the valve 103 can be placed on the network 102 or spur 105 110 either as a passthrough device (both ports connected to network
102 or spur 105 110) or on the end of a spur (105 110) with one network port of valve 103 plugged.
[0091] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of an irrigation appliance
101 150 with hookups for electrical power 151 and a water source 100 152. In an embodiment of the invention, a backflow prevention device 153 sits between the water source 151 and the irrigation appliance 150 to isolate the source from contamination by an irrigation system as is often required by construction codes. The irrigation appliance 150 may have one or more hydraulic network ports 155 to communicate and source hydraulic flows over one or more hydraulic pipe transmission line networks 102 105 110. An irrigation appliance 101 150 is preferentially installed near a power source, a water source and one or more hydraulic networks
102 to minimize installation costs, materials and routing lengths.
[0092] Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation appliance 101 150 with an electronics subsystem preferentially comprising a CPU 200, a wireless communications interface 201, a power system 202 and interface electronics 203. As is well known in the art, the specific arrangement of electronics in a microprocessor-based appliance 101 can take many forms (e.g. a wireless interface can be embedded on the CPU chip or module; power electronics can be integrated with interface electronics, etc.). The functional partitions shown in Figure 3 are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the wireless interface 201 can take many forms such as a combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Internet of things (IoT) or cellular radio standards, among others. In an alternate embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 150 is connected by a wired interface (not shown) to a computer network. Those skilled in the art will recognize the myriad of choices available for communications modules, networking protocols and interfaces; such widely practiced choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0093] Figure 3 further shows a water source 154 204 entering an input filter 205 followed by an isolation valve 206, a flow meter 207 to feed a hydraulic input node 209 whose pressure can be monitored by software using pressure sensor 208. Isolation valve 206 is preferentially electronically controlled and reverts to a closed state if electrical power 151 is lost or a significant fault is detected by CPU 200 or watchdog electronics (not shown). In normal operation, isolation valve 206 can be activated and open, allowing input water at 204 to pass substantially unimpeded to input node 209.
[0094] Input node 209 may be preferentially hydraulically connected to a variable input valve 210 to source water into a low pressure accumulator tank 212. Low pressure node 211 is further connected to a drain valve 213 and a pressure sensor 215. In a pressure regulation operation of this embodiment, variable input valve 210 and drain valve 213 are electrically controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 to regulate a relatively low (e.g. lower than input node 209 pressure) but non-zero pressure at node 211, stabilized by low pressure tank 212. In this embodiment, if the pressure at low node 211 drops below a threshold, input valve 210 is opened to raise pressure; conversely if pressure at low node 211 goes above a higher threshold, drain valve 213 is opened, venting water to drain 214 to reduce pressure. As is well known in the art, many valve types (e.g. on/off or continuously variable) can be used in conjunction with any number of control algorithms to regulate a relatively constant or bounded pressure at low pressure node 211. In a preferred embodiment, the low pressure at node 211 is bounded to within 10PSI (pounds per square inch) of a target pressure; as is well known in the art of pressure regulation, the exact choice of regulation valve type, control loop and control target (e.g. bounds) are a complex combination of cost, availability, reliability, device wear (e.g. from excess cycling), performance targets, noise, electrical power consumption among other things. Such design considerations and subsequent implementation selections provide a wide range of known methods for regulating a pressure at low node 211; any method that substantially achieves a relatively bounded regulated pressure at low node 211 is considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0095] In the embodiment of Figure 3, a low pressure node 211 may be further connected to a pump 216 which pumps water through check valve 217 to raise pressure in a high node 218 which is stabilized by high pressure tank 219. A pressure sensor 220 may be attached to high pressure node 218 which in this embodiment is further connected by shunt valve 221 back to low pressure node 211. In this embodiment, pump 216 can drive pressure at high pressure node 218 higher and shunt valve 221, when opened, can pull high pressure node 218 lower. In an embodiment of the irrigation appliance of Figure 3, the pump 216 is activated continuously and shunt valve 221 is modulated dynamically to provide means for raising and lowering the pressure at high pressure node 218. As is well known in the art, many pump types achieve best efficiency and reliability when run at a constant rate; such pump types are particularly suited for such pressure regulation using a shunt valve 221. Alternatively, pump 216 may be modulated, e.g. using on/off activation or variable activation (such as a variable speed variable frequency drive (VFD) or brushless direct current (BLDC) motor driven pump) to variably pump fluid from low pressure node 211 to high pressure node 218. The exact choice of pump 216 and valve 221 topology to achieve pressure control (up and down) of high pressure node 218 is constrained in practice by cost, availability, materials, reliability, noise, energy consumption, efficiency, capacity, electronics, designer familiarity and thermal considerations, among others; any such means well known in the art that affects control of the pressure in high pressure node 218 is considered within the scope of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, CPU 200 regulates the pressure at high pressure node 218 by implementing a control loop using pressure sensor 220, shunt valve 221 and/or pump 216 to substantially bound the pressure in high pressure node 218. In practice, the choice of control loop algorithm can be constrained by many factors such as energy consumption, noise, component wear, longevity, reliability, accuracy, stability, component cost, among other things. This embodiment of the present invention is not particularly dependent on such control algorithm; any control loop that substantially regulates the pressure at high pressure node 218 to be substantially bounded around a target pressure (e.g. +/- 5PSI or +/-10PSI) is considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0096] The combined action of a low node 211 regulation loop and a high node 218 regulation loop may create a relatively stable operating condition wherein flows out of and into of nodes 218 211 are sourced and sunk while pressures at high and low pressure nodes are substantially stable. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure difference from high node 218 to low node 211 is greater than the desired pressure signaling amplitude in network 102 105 110. Those skilled in the art will recognize a multitude of methods that can be utilized to achieve substantially the same result of relatively stable high and low pressures at nodes 218 211 with sufficient source and sink flow capacity to drive signaling pressure transitions on network 102 105 110 in accordance with the present teachings. Such alternative implementations of pressure regulation means providing flow capacity for an irrigation appliance 101 150, e.g. with no pumps (if source pressure is high enough), multiple pumps (e.g. to drive high and low separately), alternate valve configurations (e.g. no shunt valve 221), alternative regulation loops (e.g. purely mechanical, with pressure regulators and/or relief valves) are numerous; this embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited by such choices of components, topology and control algorithm to achieve regulated high and low pressure sources within irrigation appliance 101 150.
[0097] Referring again to the embodiment in Figure 3, high pressure node 218 may be further connected to a variable up valve 222 which can raise the pressure of output node 224 toward that at high node 218. Similarly, low pressure node 211 is further connected through a variable down valve 223 to output node 224 and can lower the pressure of output node 224 down towards the pressure at low node 211. By electronically regulating high and low pressure nodes 218 211 and electronically controlling up valve 222 and down valve 223, CPU 200 can control the pressure of output node 224 dynamically. Pressure sensor 225 is connected to output node 224 and allows the CPU 200 to implement a closed loop control algorithm that can rapidly vary up and down valves 222 223 to create fast pressure changes on output node 224 and synthesize arbitrary pressure modulations on output node 224. Output node 224 is connected through filter 226 to a network port 227 to drive a hydraulic transmission line 102 with such modulations. In this embodiment, the group of output devices comprising an up valve 222, a down valve 223, an output node 224, a pressure sensor 225, a filter 226 and a network port 227 form a network driver 228. In this embodiment, additional network drivers 228 can be optionally implemented within the same irrigation appliance 101 150 to drive multiple hydraulic networks 102 105 110 155.
[0098] In an additional embodiment, an alternate flow path from input node 209 is controllable by CPU 200 through bypass valve 229 and check valve 230 to high pressure node 218. In the case where one or more networks 102 105 110 are supporting steady flows through the activation of one or more valves 103 and those flows are required to run for some appreciable time, the high pressure node can be driven from input node 209 through bypass valve 229 and check valve 230 allowing the pump 216 to be deactivated. In this operational embodiment with the bypass valve 229 open, the high pressure node 218 will preferentially settle to a pressure similar to that of the input pressure node 209. In a further operation mode, the up valve 222 may be transitioned to a mostly open condition and the down valve transitioned to a mostly or completely closed condition so that the pressure at the output node 224 and network port 227 is substantially similar to the pressure at input node 209, originating steady network flow directly from source 204 through filter 205, isolation valve 206 in an open state, flow meter 207, bypass valve 229 in an open state, check valve 230, up valve 222 in an open state and filter 226 to reach network port 227 and drive open valves 103 on network(s) 102 105 110 while the pump is not running, preferentially saving energy and reducing noise and component wear. In an alternate embodiment of this bypass mode, up valve 222 can be modulated by CPU 200 to regulate output pressure 224 and network port 227 pressure to a target pressure level that is lower than that at input node 209.
[0099] In a preferred embodiment, the network port 227 pressure can be dynamically modulated using a fast closed-loop control algorithm to create relatively fast transitions in network pressure (e.g. slewing at lOOPSI/sec) and achieve accurate pressure (e.g. settling to +/-1PSI within 0.1 seconds). In one embodiment, the output pressure sensor 225 feeds a proportional, integral, differential (PID) control algorithm running in CPU 200 that adjusts the up and down valves 222 223 to achieve a desired target pressure waveshape at output manifold 224. In a preferred embodiment, ceramic disk valves driven by stepper or servo motors are used for up valve 222, down valve 223, input valve 210 and shunt valve 221. In a further preferred embodiment, bypass valve 229 and drain valve 213 are on/off solenoid valves. In an alternative embodiment, shunt valve 221 and input valve 210 are on/off solenoid valves. Many valve types, including motorized ball valves, solenoid valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, proportional valves and ceramic disk valves among others, can be used to achieve the desired pressure waveform synthesis in output node 224 and network port 227 as well as the regulation of high and low nodes 218 211; the present teachings can be implemented using any of these in any combination to achieve both steady regulation of high and low nodes 218 211 and fast dynamic regulation at output node 224.
[0100] In a further embodiment, in order to purge fluid from the system a pressurized air source may be attached to the irrigation appliance 101 150 at various points such as source 204, input node 209, high pressure node 218, low pressure node 211 and/or output node 224. In one embodiment, air pressure introduced at high pressure node 218 is regulated by CPU 200 to create a low air pressure at low pressure node 211 using shunt valve 221 and drain valve 213 to pull low pressure node 211 up and down, respectively. In a further embodiment, the air pressure at output node 224 and network port 227 is modulated using up valve 222 and down valve 223 controlled by CPU 200 to deliver modulated air pressure to the hydraulic network 102 105 110 for the purposes of clearing fluid from the hydraulic network 102 105 110, valves 103 and terminations 104. In a further embodiment, such air pressure modulation can be used to signal valves 103 to open and/or close as determined by CPU 200 to clear the network 102 105 110 of fluid. In a further embodiment, pressurized air is used to clear fluid from the internal components of the irrigation appliance 101 150 to prepare the system for freezing temperatures. In an alternate embodiment, pressurized air is provided at irrigation appliance 101 150 and valves 103 and termination 104 are manually opened individually or in combination to substantially clear the system of water in preparation for freezing conditions.
[0101] Those skilled in the art will recognize a multitude of practiced ways of generating pressure modulation at a hydraulic network output 227. A variable speed pump can be used instead of variable valves. Centrifugal/impeller pumps and various positive displacement pumps are well known choices for such architectures, in single and multi-stage topologies. A boost pump path could be deemed unnecessary by one skilled in the art if the input source pressure is sufficiently high to support the desired signaling and the recycling of backflow is unnecessary by design (e.g. always a positive flow from irrigation appliance with e.g. a fixed pulldown load on the network, dumping waste fluid is not a design prohibition and/or the fluid can be re-used for other purposes, e.g. a separate gravity fed drip irrigation system). A fully mechanical pressure regulation and/or pressure relief mechanism can be devised that does not require a CPU or interface electronics to make a continuous feedback pressure control loop - such a mechanism could implement mechanical pressure regulation that is then modulated by digital on/off valves (e.g. solenoid valves) to rapidly transition between pressure levels to generate complex signaling waveforms. An arrangement of tanks at various mechanically regulated pressures could be switched using variable or binary valves such as solenoids, proportional solenoids, ball valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, servo valves, etc. to generate a variable output pressure as required by the present invention. Such engineering choices of the architecture of the pressure and flow modulation means are influenced by many factors such as cost, availability, power consumption, materials compatibility, familiarity, noise generation, efficiency, reliability, tooling costs, intellectual property considerations, environmental impact, size, weight, regulatory compliance, building code uniformity, import/export restrictions, health concerns, marketability, consumer price thresholds, profitability, development schedules and feature sets among others. As such, given the breath of means available to generate a pressure modulation and flow by an irrigation appliance 101 150, the irrigation appliance 101 150 block diagram of Figure 3 is meant to illustrate just one of a multitude of practical and implementable pressure modulation means well known to those skilled in electromechanical fluid control and is not intended to restrict the scope of the present teachings. The primary purpose of irrigation appliance 101 150 is to convey fluid flow from a source 100 152 204 to an output port 155 227 and to further modulate the pressure at least one output port 155 227 to implement the communication protocol and fluid delivery of the present teachings; as is well known in the art such purposes can be met with a multitude of architectures and component choices that are available to implementers and such choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0102] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of an optional fertigation module which may integrate into the irrigation appliance of Figure 3 by receiving and holding drain water 214 250 from drain valve 213 in a mix tank 251. The level of fluids in mix tank 251 can be sensed by level sensors 252; CPU 200 can command flow from low pressure node 211 through drainage valve 213 to fill mix tank 251. Fertilizer tanks 254 and metering pumps 253 can similarly be commanded to add one or more liquid fertilizer concentrates to mix tank 251 which can then be pumped out by boost pump 255 into high pressure node 218 for emission through up valve 222 to output node 224 and on to network port 227 and network 102 105 110. In one embodiment, fertilizer tanks 254 contain component liquid fertilizers that are chosen to be weighted toward a basic fertilizer component, e.g. one of nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium, so that by pumping unequal amounts via metering pumps 253, CPU 200 can create a desired fertilizer component ratio in mix tank 251 at a desired concentration for delivery by the irrigation appliance 101 150 to a target valve 103 output port 106. Additionally other chemicals or agents may be added into mix tank 251 to support network cleaning/de-clogging, pest mitigation, fragrances, enzymatic mixtures, winterization functions, etc.; the present invention is generally able to re-pressurize the contents of mix tank 251 fluids as well as control networks 102 105 110 and valves 103 in such a way as to deliver the desired mixture to desired valve outputs 106 and emitters 107. In a further embodiment, CPU 200 has information about the particular plants fed by each valve output 106 and can model fertilization needs over time accounting for both user tuned growth targets and/or cultivar and site-specific requirements (e.g. citrus fertilization has a different seasonal nutrient profile compared to tomatoes, clay soil may require fewer nutrients compared to sandy soils, etc.). As is well known in the art, such fertigation techniques can be implemented using a number of nutrient storage, metering, mixing and injection methods; the detailed construction in Figure 4 of a fertigation add-on module is one of many possible fertigation module
implementations. Such alternative implementations of fertigation sourcing are similarly applicable to the present invention which provides for a much finer grain and regulated delivery network that substantially increases the utility, effectiveness and ease of use of fertigation in heterogeneous landscape installations.
[0103] Figure 5 shows an embodiment of a termination 104 that is preferentially located at or near the end of a hydraulic transmission line 102 as described above. The termination port 260 may be connected to hydraulic network 102 as well as a flush valve 261, air vent 262 and/or a hydraulic resistor 263. During system installation it is standard practice to flush irrigation pipes prior to normal operation to drive out debris and test for connectivity and/or leaks; a manual and optionally addressable flush valve 261 enables this important setup task. Furthermore, the available communication signaling bandwidth of hydraulic transmission lines 102 may be generally sensitive to significant entrapped air; flush valve 261 is also useful for removing such air, either manually or automatically. Additionally, in climates and installations where the system might experience freezing, it is common to winterize irrigation systems by blowing out standing water using compressed air; flush valve 261 and air vent 262 can be similarly used to support such winterization. Air vent 262 is preferably of the type that automatically vents trapped air pockets and otherwise seals shut when the trapped air has been vented. The combination of flush valve 261, manual and/or automatic, and air vent 262 may also be combined into a single component to support the described flushing and venting scenarios simply and cost effectively. Such combinations and permutations of these flush and vent functions are well known in the art; for the purposes of the present invention any combination of valves, vents, address decoders and wired or wireless activation means in any arrangement of components that achieves the described functionality, i.e. flushing water and debris, venting trapped air and/or venting compressed air and/or water for winterization purposes is considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0104] Termination input node 260 is further connected to a hydraulic resistor 263 for the purpose of terminating a hydraulic transmission line 102 to limit the effects of pressure signal distortion seen by devices attached to hydraulic network 102 105 110. In a further embodiment, an accumulator tank 265 is further attached at node 264 to hydraulic resistor 263 to form a hydraulic AC termination. Accumulator tank 265 acts analogously to an electrical capacitor and is preferentially sized and pressurized to present a response time (defined as the product of the hydraulic resistance of 263 and hydraulic capacitance of 265) of hydraulic termination 104 substantially longer than the high speed signaling mode of the pressure sequence protocol transmitted by irrigation appliance 101.
[0105] Figure 5 further shows an embodiment of a two-port hydraulic resistor 263 according to the invention. A hydraulic resistor may provide hydraulic pressure drop in a linear manner over a range of flow rates. For instance, as flow rate increases in a linear manner, the hydraulic pressure drop may increase in a corresponding linear relationship.
[0106] In this embodiment of a hydraulic resistance 263, ports 260 and 264 of housing 266 may conduct fluid flow through a mechanical barrier 267 with a narrow cutout 268 arranged in a pattern so that fingers 269 of the barrier material deflect progressively with increasing fluid flow. The housing 266 may be formed of a cylinder with the mechanical barrier inserted across a cross-section of the cylinder. The barrier may be formed from a semi-flexible or elastomeric material that may deflect as force is applied. In the absence of a force (e.g., fluid flow), the elastomeric material may be at rest, with the cutout substantially closed. As the hydraulic pressure differential between ports 260 and 264 increases, the flow and deflection of fingers 269 may increase to effectively enlarge the orifice area of the cutout 268, allowing higher flow at reduced pressure compared to a perfectly rigid and fixed orifice which would exhibit roughly square law pressure drop in relation to flow magnitude. In an embodiment of the invention, the barrier 267 material and cutout pattern 268 is designed such that the hydraulic resistance (defined as the pressure differential divided by the flow rate) is substantially constant over a range of flow rates and pressure differentials required to act as an effective termination for the pressure sequence communication protocol described herein.
[0107] Many permutations and alternative designs well known in the art can accomplish a similar design objective of hydraulically terminating a fluid network 102. Arrestor mechanisms for reducing the effects of water hammer in plumbing networks share many similarities with the termination of Figure 5; using entrapped air, bladders, springs, bellows, pistons, flaps, meshes, orifices, porous media, mechanical friction, fluid friction, shock absorbers, turbines or other similar components by themselves or in combination to implement either hydromechanical resistances and/or capacitances for the purposes of substantially matching the impedance of pipe network 102 are considered within the scope of the present teachings. The exact form of hydraulic termination is a factor of many design parameters such as materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, pressure range requirements, linearity, response time, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, engineering familiarity, form factor, weight, corrosion resistance, user experience, susceptibility to clogging and ease of field maintenance. Those skilled in the art will recognize a multitude of ways to implement such a hydraulic termination as functionally prescribed herein as well as the multitude of combinations with other components of an irrigation system (e.g. valves, hose bibs, etc.) and such permutations and combinations of the core termination functional implementation are within the scope of the present invention.
[0108] In conjunction, the irrigation appliance 101 of Figure 3 and the termination of Figure 5 can be used as a sensitive flow detector in an embodiment of the present invention. Many common small flow scenarios (e.g. a few 1GPH emitters on a valve output port 106 feeding a potted plant) require sensitivity far below the detectable limits of conventional irrigation flow meters yet are significant to end users (a clog in such an emitter might kill a favorite plant quite quickly). In an embodiment of a sensitive flow detector, an irrigation appliance can establish a flow into such an output 106 load (e.g. expected to run at 1GPH) and then isolate the up valve 222 and down valve 223 from driving the output node 224 and network 102 105 110 running the small load. In this embodiment, the AC accumulation tank 265 in termination 104 (Figure 5) can supply the small flow (e.g. 1GPH), bleeding away pressure slowly. In this embodiment, the irrigation appliance has information (both from setup at install and measured information) that allows it to calculate a relatively precise value for the combined hydraulic capacitance of the network 102 105 110 and AC termination accumulator 265. The irrigation appliance 101 monitors pressure on the network 102 105 110 using pressure sensor 225 and can then calculate a measure flow (e.g. 0.8GPH, if the nominally 1GPH drip is slightly clogged) by multiplying the pressure change measured over some time interval (e.g. seconds for moderate flows, minutes for tiny flows) by the aforementioned combined hydraulic capacitance and dividing by the time interval. If the network pressure 102 105 110 drops below a threshold (e.g. 5PSI below the initial setting) the irrigation appliance 101 can re-regulate it and repeat the experiment to improve the accuracy of the flow measurement. In an additional embodiment, the flow meter 207 and termination tank 265 are chosen so that the relative measurement ranges overlap. In this embodiment the tank isolation flow measurement method gives precise low flow measurements (e.g. 0.1GPH to 1GPM) and the flow meter 207 gives precise high flow measurements (e.g. 0.5GPM to 10GPM). The overlap further permits the calibration of one or both methods relative to the other for flows that can be measured by both methods (e.g. 0.75GPM can be measured by both network isolation and flow meter 207). Those skilled in the art will recognize the variety of placements of flow sensors such as 207 (e.g. at the output) available and the variety of tanks available (e.g. low or high tank 212 219 could be used as a capacitance for a measurement) to construct a hybrid dual method flow sensing capability in an irrigation appliance 101. The example described above is one of many architectures enabled by the present teachings which are not particularly limited by the exact combination and placement of tanks, valves and flow meters to achieve such dual-mode flow sensing with high dynamic range. [0109] Figure 6 shows a representative block diagram of an embodiment of valve 103 comprising an input port 300 which is hydraulically connected to a hydraulic actuator 301. In Figure 6, hydraulic connections are represented by solid lines and mechanical connections are represented by dotted lines. Hydraulic actuator 301 creates a mechanical motion 302 in response to pressure changes at hydraulic input port 300. In a preferred embodiment, this mechanical motion 302 is approximately proportional to the input pressure at 300. The valve may be a hydromechanical device, which may aid in control of fluid flow within a network. A valve may have one or more input ports for fluid, and one or more output ports for fluid. The valve may control whether the individual output ports are open or closed.
[0110] Irrigation systems often need to be installed on hillsides; gravity has a strong effect on water pressure on the order of 0.433 PSI per foot of elevation change. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, the irrigation appliance 101 and valves 103 have the capability to compensate or adapt to changes in baseline static direct current (DC) pressure offsets so that they can be preferentially installed at a multitude of elevations without compromising functionality, requiring adjustment or requiring external equipment to compensate for elevation induced pressure changes. Furthermore, hydraulic flows can experience pressure drops over long distances due to hydraulic friction in pipes, fittings and components that affect the pressure seen by distant valves 103. In a further preferred embodiment, valves 103 are equipped with mechanisms to adapt to pressure offsets that arise from friction losses.
[0111] In the block diagram of Figure 6, hydraulic actuator 301 generates a mechanical motion over a large range of input pressures. In a preferred embodiment such input pressures during signaling and/or operation may range for example from 10PSI to 100PSI, i.e. a dynamic range of 90PSI. In contrast, the signaling protocol of the present invention preferentially requires only a fraction of the available pressure range (e.g. 30PSI) for signaling, leaving the remainder (e.g. 60PSI) available for elevation and hydraulic flow pressure offsets.
[0112] For valves 103 to be substantially insensitive to static pressure offsets, the mechanical motion 302 which is roughly proportional to the input pressure at 300 is passed through a DC removal mechanism 303 that adapts to DC pressure offsets present in the input pressure waveform and outputs an AC mechanical signal 304 whose motion preferentially is offset from directly proportional motion 302 in such a way as to cancel any static pressure offsets presented at hydraulic input 300. Such DC removal mechanisms can be implemented by mechanical or hydraulic friction, magnetic braking, ratchet mechanisms, masses, springs, elastomers, dampers, shock absorbers and/or combinations thereof. The specific implementation of DC removal can be influenced by many design factors; the present invention is not selective regarding the specific construction, only the functionality of taking an absolute pressure induced motion and converting it to a relative AC motion by substantially removing the effects of pressure offsets is required to practice the present invention.
[0113] In a further embodiment of the valve shown in Figure 6, the AC mechanical signal 304 is passed to addressing pawls 305 that can selectively turn one or more open ratchet gears 306 in response to a prescribed sequence of AC motions 304 on address pawls 305. Open ratchet gears 306 preferentially are formed with a physical pattern of ratchet teeth that encode a selection address, e.g. a tooth encodes a binary“1” whereas a missing tooth in the same spot would encode a binary“0”; a plurality of such bits form a binary address. In a particular embodiment, a set of unique selection addresses are distributed across multiple valves (e.g. with patterns of extant or missing gear teeth to encode different multibit binary addresses on multiple open ratchet gears 306) so that each valve port 106 in a system of many valves 103 can be opened by applying a pressure sequence at input 300 that matches the pattern encoded on the corresponding open ratchet gear 306. Many possible variations of such encoding (e.g. whether a missing tooth represents a binary“0” or a missing tooth represents a binary“1”, whether binary (24evel) or trinary (3-level) or other encoding is used) are well known in the art; the present invention only requires that a pattern of gear teeth on open ratchet gear 306 can be selectively addressed by a matching pressure sequence provided at 300 that creates a mechanical motion sequence of addressing pawls 305. In a further embodiment, the address space afforded by such encoding is preferentially substantially exponential or geometric in nature, e.g. the number of unique addresses grows much faster than linearly as the number of encoded bits or logical quanta increases. Such non-linear address encodings are desirable as they afford a much larger number of unique addresses than linear addressing provides for the same sequence length.
[0114] In Figure 6, open ratchet gear(s) 306 are turned preferentially so that, in the case of a unicast message reception, a targeted open ratchet gear 306 will achieve a unique position relative to all other non-selected address ratchet gears reacting to the same pressure modulation in the active hydraulic network 102 105 110. In this preferred embodiment, the position(s) of open ratchet gear(s) 306 are evaluated by open evaluation mechanism(s) 307 using AC mechanical motion 304 to create an open mechanical motion 308 only in the specific case where the corresponding open ratchet gear 306 is in a particular rotational state and the AC mechanical motion 304 has a prescribed transition (e.g. a motion corresponding to a high to low pressure transition at hydraulic input 300). If these conditions are met, open evaluation mechanism 307 preferentially and selectively creates an open mechanical motion 308. [0115] In the embodiment of Figure 6, the open evaluation mechanism(s) 307 are mechanically connected to valve plunger(s) 309 which are further connected to valve toggle(s) 311 and diaphragm valve(s) 313. Diaphragm valves 313 preferentially switch hydraulic fluid flow from hydraulic input 300 to one or more output ports 106 314. In an embodiment of the present invention, diaphragm valve(s) 313 contain an elastomer sheet and/or spring that, along with valve plunger(s) 309 and valve toggles 311 preferentially form a bi-stable mechanical latch. In this embodiment, restorative forces from hydraulic input 300 and elastomer/spring (not shown, but within 313) create two stable valve states (open and closed) in conjunction with valve plunger 309 and valve toggle 311.
[0116] In this embodiment, open motion 308 triggers the release of one or more such bi-stable valve latches to flip a selected diaphragm valve 313 from a closed state to an open state. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure at hydraulic input 313 provides motive forces 310 312 through the diaphragm valve 313 and valve plunger 309 that, once triggered, forces the selected valve plunger 309, valve toggle 311 and diaphragm valve 313 from a slightly open state to a fully open state. In this embodiment, the motive force required by open motion 308 can be made small relative to the motive force provided by hydraulic input 300 to fully open a selected valve 312 thus creating a hydromechanical gain in the system. In this embodiment, a small force at 308 can open a large valve 313 and permit a large flow from hydraulic input 300 to a selected valve port 314. Such hydromechanical gain that enables small forces to switch large hydraulic currents and valve bi-stability can be implemented in a variety of ways known in the art using numerous types of valves (ball, gate, butterfly, diaphragm, disc and piloted, among others) and mechanical latches (toggles, cams, springs, levers, latches, ratchets, elastomer and geared, among others); as such the specific constraints such as cost, size, reliability, etc. and resultant implementation choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0117] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 6, optional open button(s) 315 can be manually operated to provide the mechanical open motion 316 to trigger the release of the valve latch formed by diaphragm valve(s) 313, valve plunger(s) 309 and valve toggle(s) 311. Such manual operation is often useful during initial system setup (e.g. to flush pipes 102 105 110 106, valves 103 and emitters 107), during normal use (e.g. to tune sprinkler heads, to activate a garden hose for hand watering, to provide extra water to a zone, etc.), for winterization (e.g. to allow pressurized air to blow out standing water) or for debugging (e.g. to check appliance, network, valve and/or emitter function).
[0118] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 6, the addressing pawls 305 can also selectively advance a close ratchet gear 317 that is preferentially similar to open ratchet gear(s) 306 (i.e. encoding a logical address in a pattern of extant or missing gear teeth) and can be selectively turned by a particular sequence of pressure changes at hydraulic input 300 to a physical rotation state that allows a close evaluation mechanism 318 (e.g. a lever) to sample the position of close ratchet gear 317. In this embodiment, if a pressure sequence received at hydraulic port 300 matches that encoded in the close ratchet gear 317 and a prescribed pressure transition at port 300 occurs to activate close evaluation mechanism 318, a mechanical evaluation motion 319 is created that can set 319 a mechanically stored close bit 320. Close bit 320 is preferentially a bi- stable mechanical latch that can store one of two states herein labeled“engaged” and
“disengaged”, referring to the closing mechanism. In this embodiment, the mechanical state of close bit 320 controls close pawls 321 which are connected mechanically to the direct hydraulic actuator mechanical output 302. In this embodiment, close pawls 321 can either be engaged to or disengaged from (as controlled by close bit 320) a close crank mechanism 322. The close crank mechanism 322 of Figure 6 is preferentially able to be driven open by the hydraulically provided force at valve toggle 311 (mechanical pathway 323 A) when a diaphragm valve 313 is opened (by action of open motions 308 or 316) and additionally driven closed by the mechanical pathway from hydraulic actuator 301 and close pawls 321 (mechanical pathway 323B) by a ratchet gear within 322. In this embodiment, diaphragm valve(s) 313 can require substantial mechanical force on valve plungers 309 to close against the network hydraulic pressure at port 300; such large force can be created by a repetitive reciprocating mechanical motion at 302 created by a cyclic hydraulic pressure waveform at 300 that is translated into a small movement at high force by the mechanical leverage of close pawls 321, a ratchet gear and gear reduction within close crank mechanism 322 and valve toggles 311. In this embodiment the mechanical motive force for closing diaphragm valve(s) 313 is derived directly from the hydraulic actuator 301. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the mechanical motive force is derived from AC mechanical motion 304 after DC removal 303.
[0119] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 6, close crank mechanism 322 creates a reset mechanical motion 324 that can reset close bit 320 to a“disengaged” state when close crank mechanism 322 reaches a position where diaphragm valve(s) 313 are known closed and the mechanical latch comprising the interaction of valve toggle 311, valve plunger 309 and diaphragm valve 313 is in its closed state. In a preferred embodiment of a multiport valve design, reset mechanical motion 324 is asserted if all diaphragm valves 313 are closed;
conversely if any of diaphragm valves 313 are open, the reset mechanical state 324 is de- asserted. In this preferred embodiment, the valve of Figure 6 can be selective addressed by a sequence of hydraulic pressure levels at port 300 that, when matching the sequence encoded on close ratchet gear 317 can trigger a close bit 320 to be set to“engage” 319 if any of one or more diaphragm valve(s) 313 is in an open state. In this embodiment, once the close bit is set to “engage”, subsequent pressure cycling of hydraulic input 300 will ratchet close pawls 321 to turn a close crank mechanism 322 which will preferentially amplify the mechanical force of link 302 to provide enough motive force at link 323B to close any open diaphragm valve(s) 313. When enough cycles of hydraulic input 300 have been received to fully close any open diaphragm valves 313, the close crank mechanism 322 will generate a reset 324 of close bit 320, changing it to the“disengage” state which then causes close pawls 321 to disengage from close crank mechanism 322 gearing for the purpose of reducing the mechanical load on linkage 302. In this preferred embodiment, by reducing the mechanical load on hydraulic actuator 301 once the close operation is completed, subsequent signaling pressure changes (such as new pressure addressing sequences for opening or closing other valves) may be passed without distortion and/or clipping from a large mechanical load at linkage 302. Furthermore, the design of the DC-removal mechanism 303 can be simplified in the case where large closing forces directly draw power from hydraulic actuator 301 as the DC removal 303 only needs to pass relatively low mechanical forces to addressing pawls 305 and evaluation mechanisms 307 318, reducing stress and wear on DC removal mechanism 303.
[0120] The key functional features of the close operation of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 can be implemented in a variety of ways. Using a mechanical motion to open and/or close a hydraulic valve can be accomplished with many mechanisms (gears, levers, plungers, pushrods, springs, cranks, pistons, bellows, piloting, etc.); this element of the present invention requires only that mechanical means are provided to affect a valve opening or closure after a hydraulic pressure sequence at an input port 300 matches an encoding of one or more logical address(es) in a non-linear address space in a hydromechanical receiver. A specific form of the receiving mechanism (in the case of Figure 6, a hydraulic actuator 301, DC removal 303, addressing pawls 305 and one or more gears 306 317 with different patterns of missing teeth encoding said logical address(es)) is provided as an illustrative example. Those skilled in the art will recognize many alternative forms of the teachings described herein that can, among many possible alternatives, substitute alternative actuator mechanisms, eliminate DC removal, employ linear ratchets or bi- directional ratchets with or without missing teeth, encode multi-level addresses with one or more gears, etc. to selectively open and/or close one or more output port(s) of a valve 103 with a hydraulic pressure sequence encoding a matching or partially matching logical address of said valve. Such alternatives are considered within the scope of the present invention. [0121] In another alternative embodiment, the DC removal operation 303 is removed and addressing pawls 305 and evaluation mechanisms 307 318 are directly driven by hydraulic actuator 301 output 302. In this alternative embodiment, the address ratchet gears 306 317 respond to absolute pressure levels which may be functionally adequate for installations with small elevation changes and low flow rates. Those skilled in the art will recognize a tradeoff between cost and features can be done that trades elevation insensitivity for valve cost and protocol pressure swings, i.e. the pressure range of the protocol can be increased so that there is some native elevation tolerance without a DC removal mechanism 303. Such alternatives are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0122] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 6, close button 325 can optionally act to set 326 close bit 320 to the“engaged” state and additionally provide a reciprocating mechanical force
328 to close pawls 321 that can drive the close crank mechanism 322 to affect a closure of diaphragm valves 313 manually. Such operation is often useful as mentioned above during installation, operation, configuration, maintenance and debugging. Many such forms of manual mechanical closing are available to designers skilled in the art including direct plunger 309 pushbuttons, a lever driving close crank mechanism 322 at an intermediate point, a venting mechanism that temporarily reduces input pressure and allows a low force to close diaphragm valves 313, among others. The particular implementation of manual valve closing described herein for the embodiment of Figure 3 is merely meant to be illustrative of a not intended to restrict the scope of the present teachings.
[0123] In a further embodiment of Figure 6, the close bit 320 can preferentially be set by link
329 in the case where the input pressure at 300 drops below an absolute threshold, e.g. 5PSI. In this case, the hydraulic actuator will exceed the normal operating range of motion at 302 and a simple threshold lever can set 329 the close bit 320. In the case where the network has a catastrophic loss of pressure, e.g. from a rupture on network 102 105 110 or valve output 106 or experiences a fault (e.g. power outage, memory loss, damaged motherboard) or is misconfigured manually (e.g. through buttons 325 and/or 315) and/or as a recovery method to signal“close all” to many valves, the close bits 320 across many valves can be set by a simple depressurization below an absolute pressure threshold (e.g. 5 PSI). In these cases, subsequent pressure cycles at 300 will be able to close any open valves using close pawls 321 and close crank mechanism 322. In this embodiment, if many emitter valves 103 have open ports (e.g. through inadvertent manual operation or addressing fault) and the irrigation appliance 101 has insufficient flow capacity to develop a full high-to-low pressure cycle against the many open valves, the network can be first depressurized to set close bits 320 then cycled with relatively low pressure swings to close any open valve ports 106 on the network 102 105 110 and restore one or more valves 103 to closed states which allows the network to be run at higher pressures for the protocol signaling of the present teachings. In a further embodiment of the present teachings, the pressure cycling frequency, amplitude and offset may be preferentially modulated to successfully close valves 103 that are hydraulically near a hydraulic transmission line discontinuity (e.g. rupture or clog) in order to generate sufficient pressure amplitude to drive close crank mechanism 322.
[0124] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 6, an air vent 327 is optionally integrated into a valve 103 to minimize the entrained air in network 102 105 110 to improve pressure signal propagation characteristics. In a preferred embodiment, valves 103 are commonly buried with network pipes 102 105 110 and only a cover plate is at grade; in this circumstance the valve 103 is often at a local high point and can collect entrained air which is preferentially vented by air vent 327. In an alternative embodiment, a flow path within valves 103 is provided so that substantially all entrained air can be reliably flushed from valves 103 and network 102 105 110.
[0125] Figures 7 through 16 describe a detailed implementation of a hydraulically addressed valve according to the present invention.
[0126] Figure 7 shows a physical realization and cross section of an example hydraulic actuator 301 according to an embodiment of the invention. The construction of Figure 7 closely follows that of pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) which are well known in the art and can be used as hydraulic actuators 301, herein called hydraulic artificial muscles (HAMs). Compact PAMs have been developed that can generate high forces with pressures in the aforementioned ranges in an irrigation system with cycle lifetimes of over 100 million cycles (“ Fatigue Life Testing of Swaged Pneumatic Artificial Muscles as Actuators For Aerospace Applications’ Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, 23(3) 327-343, 2011, Woods et al). The HAM of this embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 7 comprises a central cylindrical section 350 constructed of an outer braided sleeve 351 and an inner elastomeric tube 352. Input fluid is conducted through a feed port 357 through an axial hole in threaded screw 356 (threads not shown) and plug 354 to reach the central cavity. The threaded portion 356 is used to both seal the input port into a housing (not shown) and provide a mechanical anchor for the axial forces generated by the HAM. The opposing end of the HAM is preferentially comprised of an anchor plug 358 with a similar threaded anchor screw 355 (threads not shown). Crimps 353
preferentially seal the inner elastomer tube 352 to the feed plug 354 and opposing anchor plug 358 as well as mechanically clamp the braid 351 directly to the feed plug 354 and anchor plug 358. In operation, as fluid pressure conveyed through port 357 is increased, the elastomer tube 352 and the enclosing braid 351 radially expand, producing tension on braid 351’ s strands which generates an intentional axial tension between input feed plug 354 and anchor plug 358. As is well known in the art of constructing PAMs (and HAMs), the exact materials, dimensions, properties and assembly of crimps 353, braid 351, plugs 354 358, anchors 356 355, feed ports 357 and elastomeric tube 352 can vary widely and depend on many factors; such engineering choices and variety of materials and construction methods are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
[0127] More generally, converting pressure into force and vice versa are common engineering tasks central to most hydromechanical designs; many hundreds of different forms well known in the art have been developed over hundreds of years involving pistons, diaphragms, bellows, tubes, elastomers, pleats, balloons, gears, screws, nozzles, among others and many of these forms are commonly mass produced with high yield, low cost and with long service lifetimes. The specific choice of which pressure-to-force or pressure-to-motion conversion technique to use in a given engineering task is a complex function of cost, availability, power requirements, force requirements, mechanical motion range, linearity, thermal considerations, potential failure modes, materials compatibility, engineer familiarity, noise generation, efficiency, reliability, tooling costs, intellectual property considerations, environmental impact, ecological burden, size, weight, regulatory compliance, import/export restrictions, health concerns, marketability, consumer price thresholds, profitability, development schedules and feature sets among others.
In the context of the present teachings, any hydraulic mechanical means to translate incident pressure changes at port 300 to mechanical motions 302 is applicable to the hydraulic actuator 301 of the present invention.
[0128] As is well known in the art, mechanical motions can be created from varying forces using any number of mechanical loads. Springs, levers, weights, counter-posed hydraulic actuators, magnets, solenoids, elastomers, air tanks, bellows, diaphragms, pneumatic components, shock absorbers, etc. are often used individually or in combination to create a mechanical motion from a change in applied force. Such engineering choice of mechanical loads to affect mechanical motions, e.g. at 302, from force changes in hydraulic actuator 301 are commonly made depending on a myriad of considerations; the present invention can generally use any mechanical load that translates a pressure driven force change in a hydraulic actuator 301 into a mechanical motion 302.
[0129] Figure 8 shows a physical realization of a portion of an embodiment of a valve 103 comprising a frame 400 (one side not shown for clarity), a base 401, and a rocker arm 402.
Rocker arm 402 can pivot freely on axle 403 which is anchored to frame 400. Mainspring 404 is connected between rocker arm 402 at axle 405 and base 401 by means of rigid linkage components 406. Hydraulic artificial muscle 407 is attached to rocker arm 402 at axle 408 and to base 401 at point 409 so that the contraction of HAM 407 causes rotation of rocker 402 about axle 403 and consequently the extension of mainspring 404. In this embodiment a hydraulic connection between valve body 410 and HAM 407 permits fluid flow from network 102 105 110 300 to HAM 407; at high pressure the HAM 407 pulls on mainspring 404 and at low pressure the HAM 407 relaxes allowing mainspring 404 to contract, creating pressure dependent motion of rocker 402 to implement, in combination, a hydraulic actuator 301. Spring 404 can take many forms; extension, compression, torsion, leaf, pneumatic and elastomer springs are well known in the art and may be substituted individually or in combination to perform the requisite translation of hydraulic pressure change mechanical motion.
[0130] In a further embodiment, rocker 402 is connected to linkage 411 and pushrod 412 to provide mechanical motion 302 to a DC removal mechanism 303 (not shown in Figure 8). In a preferred embodiment, pushrod 412 is constrained to move linearly (vertically in Figure 8). In a preferred embodiment the rocker 402 geometry, mainspring 404 characteristics, HAM 407 characteristics, axle pivot points 403 405 408 and linkage 411 attachment points are chosen so that the position of pushrod 412 is approximately linear with hydraulic input pressure at 410 300.
[0131] As is well known in the art, any number of mechanical hydraulic actuators and countering loads can approximately translate pressure changes linearly into mechanical motions; any number of these designs can be substituted for the mechanism described in detail herein to meet the objective of the invention to translate hydraulic pressure changes to approximately proportional mechanical motion (rotary or linear). The present invention is not dependent on the underlying choice of hydromechanical actuation.
[0132] Figure 9 shows two views (front and back) of a mechanical design of a DC removal mechanism 303 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, rocker arm 402 turns about axle 403 by the action of HAM 407 (not shown) and mainspring 404 (not shown). Rocker arm 402 is connected to linkage 411 and pushrod 412 whose vertical position 450 in Figure 9 is preferentially nearly proportional to input hydraulic pressure as discussed above. Pushrod 412 passes through guides 461 of a DC removal sled 451 that is constrained to move vertically by linear bushings or bearings 460 sliding on stationary rails 452. A variable clamping mechanism comprising symmetric friction pads 453 and clamp levers 454 are attached to sled 451 at vertical axles 455; the variable clamping mechanism drives the sled 451 vertically by creating friction with pads 453 pinched symmetrically (dotted arrows on left of Figure 9) against pushrod 412. Compression spring 456 applies an expansive force (dotted arrow on right of Figure 9) against clamp levers 454 which creates a clamping force at friction pads 453 on pushrod 412 causing sled 451 to move along with pushrod 412. Clamp rollers 457 also move vertically with sled 451 and can, at top and bottom limits, encounter a stationary clamp limiter plate 458 which causes the rollers 457 to compress spring 456 which reduces clamping friction on the pushrod 412 at predetermined up and down threshold positions defined by the shape of stationary clamp limiter plate 458. If the clamp friction at pads 453 is reduced sufficiently by such clamp limiter plate 458, sled 451 will stop moving and pushrod 412 will slip through until pushrod 412 reverses direction. In this embodiment, the variable friction mechanism
implemented between pushrod 412 and sled 451 allows the sled to only follow the pushrod 412 motion for a narrow range of absolute positions defined by stationary clamp limited plate 458. The range of motion 459 of the sled 451 is thus limited by the clamp limiter plate 458 to be less than the range of motion 450 of pushrod 412. AC variations of pushrod 412 position that are within the full-force clamping limits are reflected in the sled 451 position; excursions of pushrod 412 and sled 451 position that engage the clamp limit plate 458 cause slippage that changes the mechanical offset between pushrod 412 and sled 451. In a preferred embodiment, an input pressure signal consisting of a gradual amplitude reduction of a cyclic pressure waveform (i.e. an amplitude modulation (AM) ramp down) can cause both the upper and lower limits of clamp limit plate 458 to alternately engage until the amplitude of the motion of pushrod 412 is less than the range allowed by clamp limit plate 458. After such preparation, the sled 451 position then approximately corresponds to the small signal AC variation in the input pressure, achieving the DC removal function 303 described in the valve block diagram of Figure 6.
[0133] Those skilled in the art will recognize a multitude of methods available for achieving a substantially similar DC removal function; friction, ratchet gears, mechanical and/or fluidic dampers, inertial masses and springs and other architectures such as counterposed HAMs with a fluidic restriction on one (a high pass filter) could be adapted to perform a substantially similar function of developing an AC-coupled mechanical motion 304 from a wide range hydraulic actuator 301. Such choices of DC removal are influenced by many factors such as cost, size, weight, reliability, longevity, materials, ease of assembly, tolerances, accuracy, temperature stability, etc. among others; this embodiment of the invention is not particularly limited by the exact construction of the DC removal functionality 303.
[0134] Figure 10 shows an addressing pawl mechanism 305 according to an embodiment of the invention, with and without a pawl guide plate shown for clarity. In Figure 10, a high pressure pawl 500 that is driven by the DC-removed mechanical motion 304 of sled 451 at an axle 502 about which pawl 500 can rotate; similarly a low pressure pawl 501 is driven by the same DC- removed mechanical motion 304 of sled 451 at axle 503 about which it can rotate. The high pressure pawl 500 and low pressure pawl 501 selectively engage an address ratchet gear stack 504 that rotates freely about stationary axle 505. In Figure 10, the address ratchet gear stack 504 is constrained to only advance counterclockwise by catch 506 which pivots around stationary axle 507 and is preferentially sprung (spring not shown) to constantly engage address ratchet gear stack 504. Catch 506 prevents clockwise rotation of address ratchet gear stack 504; those skilled in the art will recognize many different alternate implementations of such a function, e.g. using friction, a clutch, a dedicated ratchet gear, etc. - such alternative implementations with similar functionality are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
[0135] Furthermore, address ratchet gear stack 504 is preferentially comprised of two or more ratchet gears, each with a pattern of missing teeth; Figure 10 only shows a simplified gear with no missing teeth in an effort to clarify the operations of the pawls. Figure 11 and associated descriptions below provide more details on the construction of address ratchet gear stack 504.
[0136] In Figure 10, axles 502 and 503 move vertically with sled 451 in correspondence with the AC mechanical motion 304 (i.e. DC-removed); on a downstroke (higher pressure), the high pressure pawl tip 500A can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 if it engages with a tooth. Similarly on an upstroke (lower pressure) the low pressure pawl tip 501 A can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 if it engages with a tooth.
[0137] In a further embodiment of Figure 10, a torsion spring 508 is attached to both high pawl 500 and low pawl 501; these attachment points are preferentially allowed to freely pivot. The torsion spring 508 as shown in Figure 10 is compressed and provides an outward expanding force to the torsion spring linkage points on high pawl 500 and low pawl 501. This expanding force causes high pawl 500 to rotate counterclockwise about moving axle 502 so that high pawl tip 500A is rotated into address ratchet gear stack 504. On an extended arm of high pawl 500, a guide pin 509 (normal to the plane of Figure 10) is slotted into an opening in a pawl guide plate 511, shown on the right of Figure 10. As sled 451 and axle 502 are moved up and down in this embodiment, high pawl guide pin 509 can make contact with pawl guide plate 511, causing guide pin 509 to trace a path similar to 512 and thus causing high pawl 500 to rotate about axle 502 at certain vertical excursions; this desired rotation causes the high pawl tip 500A to trace a path 513 that intentionally disengages high pawl tip 500A from address ratchet gear stack 504 at low input pressures. In this embodiment, this disengagement results in the high pressure pawl only being engaged at mid to high pressures and thus only able to advance address ratchet gear stack 504 counterclockwise on low or mid to high pressure excursions when a gear tooth is available. [0138] Torsion spring 508 similarly pushes against low pawl 501 but due to the preferential alignment of the torsion spring force relative to the low pawl pivot (axle 503), the low pawl preferentially exhibits a bi-stable mechanical behavior. If low pawl 501 is engaged with address ratchet gear stack 504, the expansive force of torsion spring 508 will preferentially drive low pawl clockwise in Figure 10, i.e. in the direction of further engagement with address ratchet gear stack 504. If, however, low pawl 501 is disengaged, the expansive force of torsion spring 508 will preferentially drive low pawl counterclockwise in Figure 10, i.e. in the direction of further disengagement. This restorative force created by torsion spring 508 on low pawl 501 creates a stable mechanical pawl state bit; the low pawl 501 can be either in an engaged state or a disengaged state.
[0139] Low pawl 501 has an extended rigid arm with a low guide pin 510 extending normal to the plane of Figure 10. Pawl guide plate 511, shown on the right of Figure 10, has an opening that low pawl guide pin 510 fits through and can contact to modify the low pawl 501 behavior on pressure excursions. If the low pawl 501 is in an engaged state and experiences a high pressure excursion, low pawl guide pin 510 will contact pawl guide plate 511 on a downward motion, experiencing a counterclockwise torque about axle 503 and preferentially flip to a disengaged state, as shown in low pawl pin trace 514 and low pawl tip trace 515. Upon returning to a low pressure (upward) excursion, low pawl guide pin 510 will preferentially again contact pawl guide plate 511, now experiencing a clockwise torque about pivot 503 and preferentially change to the engaged state.
[0140] Low pawl 501 and its guide pin 510 working in conjunction with the pawl guide plate 511 provide a means for engaging and disengaging at particular positional excursions of sled 451 (to which axles 502 and 503 are attached, experiencing vertical motion on AC input pressure changes as described previously). These mechanical thresholds, set by the cutouts in pawl guide plate 511, translate to AC pressure thresholds and implement a discriminating function for receiving digital information in the form of incident hydraulic pressure waveforms. The bi- stability of the low pawl 501 (engaged or disengaged) of this embodiment is desirable as it allows large AC pressure excursions (e.g. rail-to-rail motions of high and low pawls 500 501) to repeatedly disengage and engage low pawl 501 which prevents advancement of address ratchet gear stack 504 by the low pawl 501.
[0141] In Figure 10, if the low pressure pawl 501 is at a low pressure state (i.e. up in Figure 10; consequently known to be in the engaged state by action of pawl guide plate 511) and then experiences a positive pressure excursion (downward in Figure 10) that doesn’t exceed the disengagement threshold created by pawl guide plate 511, it can remain engaged with and advance address ratchet gear stack 504 counterclockwise upon return to a low pressure state (upward). This sustained engagement is maintained as long as the input pressure level and correspondent mechanical motion doesn’t exceed the mechanical limit created by low pawl guide pin 510 contacting pawl guide plate 511 on a positive pressure (downward) excursion. In this embodiment, a low pressure followed by a mid pressure followed by another low pressure can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 if a tooth is available to the low pressure pawl 501.
[0142] In a further embodiment, the high pressure pawl 500 engages with a ratchet gear in stack 504 that has a single missing tooth. In this case, if only high pressure pawl 500 is allowed to advance the gear stack 504, any sufficiently large number of high pressure cycles will cause the gear stack 504 to rotate into a known position, independent of starting position. The
aforementioned non-advancement by the low pawl 501 under large pressure swings is preferred as it allows the address ratchet gear stack to achieve a known reset position (due to a missing tooth on ratchet gear stack 504) while maximizing the mechanical power (proportional to the AC pressure excursion squared) available for valve operations such as incrementally closing a diaphragm valve 313. This preferred embodiment of combining power strokes and digital receiver address ratchet gear stack 504 resetting functionality reduces the number of pressure excursions needed by the communication protocol thus improving network throughput. Those skilled in the art, with the benefit of the present teachings, will recognize that such combination is not necessary to practice this invention, i.e. a less economical protocol can be implemented that doesn’t combine large power strokes with digital mechanical address receiver resetting, e.g. using lower amplitude strokes to incrementally close a diaphragm valve 313.
[0143] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 10, an evaluation pin 516 is affixed to address ratchet gear stack 504 and extends normal to the plane of Figure 10. This evaluation pin rotates with address ratchet gear stack 504 and is used (described below) to sense whether a specific digital address was received by the digital hydromechanical receiver of the present invention.
[0144] Figure 11 shows an embodiment of the address ratchet gear stack 504 comprising a high pressure gear 550 and a low pressure gear 551 that rotate around axle 505. Evaluation pin 516 protrudes from the gear stack and rotates counterclockwise in response to the motions of high and low pawls 500 501 and the directionality enforced by catch 506 (not shown in Figure 11). High and low gears 550 551 and evaluation pin 516 are affixed together and in combination make an address ratchet gear stack 504. Sled 451 drives axles 502 503 as in Figure 10, causing pawl tips 500A 501A to trace paths 513 and 515 respectively as described above. The high pressure gear 550 engages with the high pressure pawl 500; similarly the low pressure gear 551 engages with the low pressure pawl 501. Catch 506 is not shown but engages preferentially with high pressure gear 550 which preferentially has a single missing tooth, allowing a double toothed catch 506 to fully constrain stack 504 to only counterclockwise rotation.
[0145] In a preferred embodiment, high pressure gear 550 of Figure 11 is missing a tooth at a common location 552; all high pressure gears 550 in the irrigation network have the same missing tooth 552 in the same location 552 relative to the other elements of the address ratchet gear stack (i.e. low pressure gear 551 and evaluation pin 516). In this preferred embodiment, the repeated application of high and low pressure excursions creating large amplitude reciprocating motions at sled 451 and axles 502 503 cause substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 that correctly translate pressure excursions into AC mechanical motions 304 to achieve a known common rotational state where high pressure pawls 500 cannot advance address ratchet gear stacks 504 any further due to the aforementioned commonly missing tooth 552. Note that due to the engagement-disengagement response of the low pressure pawl 501 as described above in Figure 10 (trace 515 of low pawl tip 501A), the low pressure gear 551 does not advance the rotation of the address gear stack 504 in such a large excursion reset cycle, independent of where the low pressure gear 551 is missing teeth or its rotation state.
[0146] By preferentially signaling a sufficiently long sequence of large excursion pressure swings on network 102 105 110, an irrigation appliance can align substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 in substantially all hydraulically connected valves 103 to a known reset state, herein called the starting position, defined by the location of the common missing tooth 552 in the high pressure gears 550 in one or more valves 103. Such alignment to a known position is preferentially independent of the starting rotation of the population of address ratchet gear stacks 504.
[0147] One skilled in the art of mechanical design can envision alternative implementations of a limit-seeking clocking mechanism that can be reset from an unknown state to a known state by a series of pressure cycles. Various rotary and linear gear escapements, pawl engagements, pins, levers, guides, etc. can be configured to achieve substantially the same function of achieving a known state after some number of pressure cycles. The present teachings preferentially require that a movable ratchet element (in this embodiment high pressure ratchet gear 550 with a missing tooth 552) and at least one of its drivers (in this embodiment, high pawl 500) is constructed to achieve a known position after some amount of pressure cycling and that many digital hydromechanical receivers (e.g. valves 103) can be synchronized to a similar position state by common shared pressure cycles on the hydraulic network 102 105 110.
[0148] Referring to Figure 11, the low pressure gears 551 across a system (e.g. in all valves or hydraulically addressable devices attached to a hydraulic network 102 105 110) preferentially are constructed to have a common start tooth 553 arranged at such a location as to be potentially engaged by low pawl 501 when the address ratchet gear stack 504 is in the starting position, defined by the missing tooth 552 on the high pressure gear 550. A sequence of pressures from low to middle to low can advance the address ratchet gear stack 504 in this case by engaging the low pawl 501, moving the low pawl 501 downward in Figure 11 so that it catches start tooth 553 (but not so far downward that low pawl 501 disengages by way of guide plate 511) and then returns to its original position (up in Figure 11, at low pressure input) advancing the address ratchet gear stack by one tooth position. In one embodiment, this low-medium-low start pressure pulse sequence preferentially advances substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 in an entire system that are hydraulically connected and driven by an irrigation appliance 101 commencing an address packet transmission.
[0149] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 11, low pressure gear 551 has additional missing teeth that preferentially encode a binary address that is preferentially unique on a given hydraulic network 102 105 110. In this case, the existence or non-existence of a tooth encodes one bit of a multibit binary address. In a preferred embodiment, a sequence of specific pressure transitions on hydraulic network 102 105 110 can selectively advance a specific address ratchet gear stack 504 ahead of a large population of similar address ratchet gear stacks 504 with different patterns of missing teeth by matching the pressure sequence to the specific pattern of missing teeth on the targeted low pressure gear 551.
[0150] In an embodiment of the present invention, a selected segment of the pattern of missing teeth on low gear 551 constitute a binary address containing some number of bits, N, that allow the assignment of unique addresses from the 2LN address space for operations of various addressable elements in a hydraulic network 102 105 110. In a further embodiment, the address space is restricted to preferentially have similar numbers of ones (and therefore similar numbers of zeros) across all low gears 551 in the system. In a further embodiment, the address space is further restricted to preferentially have the same numbers of ones for all unique addresses in the system. In this preferred embodiment, the equal number of ones in all addresses (i.e. teeth in the addressing section of low gears 551) implies that only a low gear (and its associated address ratchet gear stack) with teeth in the proper position to advance on a low-medium-low pressure transition will be in the set of low gears that is maximally rotated past the start state after receiving a matching pressure sequence. In this embodiment a high pressure transition in the address decoding operation generally always advances all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504; out-of-order high pressure transitions advance the stack but out-of-order low-medium-low transitions without a corresponding tooth on low gear 551 do not. The rotation of a large population of address ratchet gear stacks 504 with generally unique low gear 551 tooth patterns can be thought of as a race - after the start operation advancing substantially all address gear stacks 504, only those low gears 551 that match the occurrences of low-medium4ow sequences in the input pressure waveform advance; low gears 551 that don’t match eventually fall behind the leader(s) and are not as rotated at the end of a received address sequence. In this
embodiment, the number of available unique addresses is reduced from 2LN; in a preferred embodiment, the number of ones and zeroes in all assigned binary addresses is approximately equal, e.g. for a 21 -bit address, the number of ones can preferentially be 11 (and thus the number of zeroes must be 10). In this example, a 21 -bit address of 11 ones and 10 zeros has 21 ! / 10! / 11 ! = 352,716 unique addresses whereas an arbitrary 21 -bit address has 2,097,152 unique binary addresses. This effective reduction in unique address space can be compensated (if needed) by a slightly longer address sequence (e.g. 3 more bits).
[0151] In a further embodiment of the present invention, each distinct operation of the addressable devices (e.g. valves 103) on a given network 102 105 110 have an address ratchet gear stack 504 550 551 with a unique pattern of missing teeth on its low pressure gear 551 e.g. for a valve, an open operation constitutes one unique binary address and a close or close-all operation constitutes a different binary address.
[0152] Figure 12 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform 600 for advancing a digital hydromechanical addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention. In the shown addressing sequence 601, an AM ramp down of high-low cycles 602 gradually reduces in amplitude to adapt the DC-removal mechanism 303 to any pressure and/or mechanical offsets present in the system (e.g. from elevation differences, flow induced pressure losses, changes in mainspring or HAM characteristics over time, etc.) and restores substantially all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 to a known common starting rotation as previously described. A start sequence 603 (low-medium-low pressure) advances substantially all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 one tooth. A skip section 604 advances all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 two teeth to skip past an evaluation section (explained further below) followed by an address sequence 605 that encodes a binary address. In the example shown in Figure 12, the 21 -bit least significant bit (LSB)-first hexadecimal address is 0x0D6356. The address sequence 605 advances potentially some or all operable address ratchet gear stacks 504 depending on the received pressure transition, the state of low pawls 501 (engaged or disengaged) and the availability of a tooth on the population of high and low gears 550 551 receiving such
modulation. In the example shown in Figure 12, a unicast address intended to open a given port 106 of a particular valve 103 on a network 102 105 110 with many ports and valves will maximally advance only that address ratchet gear stack 504 with a low gear 551 with teeth positioned to match the 0x0D6356 binary address, i.e. a unicast receive operation.
[0153] The pressure sequence waveform may be applied with any speed or frequency. For instance, waveforms may be provided at a frequency greater than, less than, or falling between any two of the following values: 0.1 Hz, 0.5 Hz, 0.75 Hz, 1 Hz, 1.5 Hz, 2 Hz, 2.5 Hz, 3 Hz, 4 Hz, 5 Hz, 7 Hz, 10 Hz, 12 Hz, 15 Hz, 20 Hz, 30 Hz, or 60 Hz. The pressure sequence waveform may function in an asynchronous manner with substantial variation (e.g. 100: 1 or higher) in edge-to- edge timing and edge rise/fall rates. In some embodiments, regardless of the speed or frequency at which the pressure sequence waveform is applied, it may function to advance the sequence.
[0154] In this embodiment, after the unicast address sequence 605 has been received, the matching address ratchet gear stack 504 will be rotated sufficiently to return to the starting alignment; all other gears (in the case of a unicast address) will be less advanced. A winner advance sequence 606 of low-medium4ow pressures, substantially similar to a start pressure sequence 603, advances the matching gear stack 504 one tooth, followed by an evaluation pulse 607 that advances and then senses the position of evaluation pin 516 on all address ratchet stack gears 504 in the system. In this example of a unicast operation, only one address ratchet gear stack 504 in the system is preferably advanced to the point where the evaluation transition 607 creates a single subsequent operation action (in this example to open a single diaphragm valve via open motion 308 of Figure 6 as previously described).
[0155] Figure 12 also shows a graph of the position 608 of the high and low pawls 500 501, their respective axles 502 503 and the sled 451 over time during the pressure sequence 600. During the initial pressure cycling AM ramp down 602 for adapting out DC pressure offsets, the mechanical range of sled 451 and pawls 500 501 is limited by clamp limiter plate 458 as previously described; the pawl position of Figure 12 is constrained to be within two thresholds 609 610 set by the shape of clamp limiter plate 458. Once the hydraulic pressure amplitude is less than that set by the clamp limiter plate 458, the pawl position 608 tracks the AC pressure input 600. In this embodiment, three groups of position thresholds are implied by the
hydromechanical escapement design described above. High threshold group 611 contains the position threshold at which the high pressure pawl 500 can advance the high gear 550 against catch 506 and also the position threshold at which the low pressure pawl 501 flips to a disengaged state by guide pin 510 acting against pawl guide plate 511. Mid threshold group 612 contains the position threshold below which the high pressure pawl 500 can grab another tooth and also the position threshold above which the low pressure pawl 501 can grab another tooth. Low threshold group 613 contains the position threshold at which the low pawl 501 is re- engaged by pawl guide plate 511 as well as the position threshold at which the low pawl 501 can advance the low gear 551 one tooth against catch 506. Those skilled in the art, with the benefit of the present teachings, will recognize many possible alternative implementations for these hydromechanical thresholds. For example, the dual nature of threshold 611 may be split into two separately tunable or settable thresholds, e.g. one position threshold for the high pressure pawl 500 advancing the high gear 550 and a slightly different position threshold for disengaging the low pawl 551. In practice the thresholds within each threshold group arise from distinct mechanisms and are subject to different tolerance stack-ups; in general the description of the protocol described in what follows benefits from the simplified concept of a three threshold system with high, mid and low thresholds that refer respectively to the high, mid and low threshold groups 611 612 and 613 as described above.
[0156] Alternatively, each hydromechanical threshold as depicted in Figure 12 can be considered as independent hysteresis groups. In this alternative conceptualization of the present invention, the two thresholds associated with advancing by the high pressure pawl (namely grabbing a tooth around e.g. mid pressure (one of the dotted lines in 612) and then crossing a higher threshold (one of the lines in high group 611) to advance the high gear enough so that catch 706 clicks over) can be thought of as a group of two related thresholds. Similarly, the two thresholds associated with engaging and disengaging the low pawl (one of group 611 and one of group 613) can be thought of as a hysteresis threshold pair as well. Lastly, the advancement of the low gear by the low pawl can benefit from the concept of a hysteresis pair of thresholds, namely one of the thresholds from the low group 613 and one of the thresholds from the mid group 612 as shown in Figure 12. In this alternative conceptualization of threshold groups, the noise immunity of the system (i.e. the hydromechanical decoder’s ability to reject variations in pressure) can be expressed in terms of the hysteresis inherent in the mechanical advancement process, which is quantized by the tooth pitch in address ratchet gear stack 504. In addition, this alternative conceptualization of hysteretic threshold groups highlights the range of available design choices by decoupling high and low pawl actions (e.g. the low pawl advancement hysteretic thresholds can be adjusted independently from the high pawl advancement hysteretic thresholds). Those skilled in the art will recognize the range of choices of thresholds and grouping available and furthermore that a range of design choices and nomenclatures (e.g.
calling a low pawl threshold group a single threshold with a hysteretic gap, for example) that are enabled by the present teachings and are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0157] In a further embodiment of the invention, a subset of the addressable device operations (e.g. valve 103 operations, such as opening the first and second ports of a four output multiport valve) can be selected as a group in a multicast operation by a pressure sequence that substitutes one or more ones for zeroes in the transmitted waveform. For example, to open two ports at addresses 0x0D6356 and 0x0D6355, the bitwise-or of the two addresses (0x0D6357) can be transmitted. In this embodiment, the conversion of a low gear 551 advancement to a high gear 550 advancement results in multiple race winners (two in this example) of the mechanical address-matching decode process. In a further embodiment, similar device operations, e.g.
“close emitter ports” are assigned from a set of available binary addresses with a common prefix, suffix or shared bits which allow the irrigation appliance to preferentially send multicast or broadcast commands to multiple receivers simultaneously to effect a desired change (e.g. a multicast command of“close all valve ports” that matches all address ratchet gear stacks 504 that correspond to close ratchet gears 317 while not matching any open ratchet gears 306). In this embodiment, the address space is intentionally partitioned at manufacturing into subsets that correspond to useful multicast or broadcast command groups. In a further embodiment, an irrigation appliance 101 can send a series of unicast open operations with pauses between operations to sequentially open various watering flows to effect different watering times, then send a multicast or broadcast“close all” command (multiple address ratchet gear 504 race winners) to stop all the opened flows at once.
[0158] In a further embodiment, valves 103 with multiple output ports 106 may share a single address ratchet gear stack 504 for a common“close all ports of this valve” command. Each valve output port 106 in this embodiment has a unique“open port” address ratchet gear stack 504 to provide individually selectable water delivery to a port (i.e. a unicast“open” and shared “close”; a close of an unopened valve does nothing). In a more general embodiment of the present teachings, a multistate hydraulic receiving device can have any mixture of unique and shared operations affecting multiple internal states, each operation having a corresponding address ratchet gear stack 504.
[0159] In a further embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 can sequence operations to a group of address ratchet gear stacks 504 potentially across multiple receivers or valve 103 containing serendipitous shared bits in their unique tooth patterns so that a pressure sequence operation (such as“open” or“close”) can be received and shared between multiple targets without utilizing a priori partitioning of the address space. In a further embodiment, the list of active devices on a given network 102 105 110 is used to aid and expand such serendipitous sharing, i.e. a combined address (with more wild cards) is acceptable as long as it a) covers the desired operation addresses and b) doesn’t cover any of the unwanted operations in the set of devices 103 on a given network 102 105 110. [0160] Those skilled in the art, with the benefit of the present teachings, will recognize the breadth of implementation choices available that can embody the invention of a selectively advanced address ratchet mechanism. For example the choice of a unidirectional rotating clocked element (address ratchet gear stack 504) can be alternatively implemented with a bi- directional ratchet configuration or any number of linear ratchet devices. The choice of pawl direction and the meaning of high and low pressure can be trivially inverted or permuted. The pawls for high and low pressure advancement can be on the same side of a ratchet tooth mechanism and just engage at different positions, for example. An alternative set of pawl limits, guides and ratchet gears can be implemented that create desired selective advancement of ratchets with alternative pressure sequences (e.g. low-medium-low is a“one”). Such engineering choices can be driven by a multitude of factors, including materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, force requirements, speed, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, available address space, address space partitioning, pressure sequencing rate and tolerance for fluid flow activation delays, testability, network bandwidth, termination 104 cutoff bandwidth and ease of software development among others. The present teachings only require a pressure sequence that substantially clears or resets a population of clocked mechanical elements to preferably known starting states and then a pressure sequence to selectively advance one or more clocked mechanical elements from said population to produce one or more race winners as communicated by an irrigation appliance 101 in the form of pressure modulations.
[0161] Figure 13 shows a physical realization of an open evaluation mechanism 307 and valve state storage mechanism comprising a valve plunger 309 and a valve toggle 311. In a preferred normal mode of operation, an upward force 658 into valve plunger 309 from the diaphragm valve 313 (which is not shown in Figure 13) is created by input hydraulic pressure acting against the valve diaphragm in 313 and/or from the elastomeric properties of the diaphragm in 313. In an optional environment, an expanding element, e.g. a spring or additional elastomer is added in line with valve plunger 309 to provide the desired vertical compliance. In a preferred
embodiment, this upward force 658 causes valve toggle 311 to have two stable states
corresponding to closed state and an open state, shown in the inset in the lower right of Figure 13. The valve toggle 311 rotates around a stationary axle 656 and is mechanically linked to valve plunger 309 at pivot 657. Valve plunger 309 is mechanically constrained at the bottom of Figure 13 (constraint not shown) to be held substantially in the same horizontal position but allowed to move freely vertically and to assume a small angle relative to vertical without significant mechanical interference. In the lower right of Figure 13, the open and closed states are shown - in the closed state, pivot 657 is just to the right of the line of forces between diaphragm valve upward force 658 and valve toggle axle 656; in this state valve toggle 311 is prevented from further counterclockwise rotation by stops (not shown) and provides a large force (through leverage) down through valve plunger 309 to the diaphragm valve 313. In the open state, the valve toggle pivot 657 is to the left of the line of forces between diaphragm force 658 and the valve toggle axle 656, creating a clockwise opening torque on valve toggle 311. In the open state, valve plunger 309 is positioned appreciably higher than in the closed state, allowing a gap to open in diaphragm valve 313 and fluid to flow from input 300 to output 314. The open state is similarly mechanically constrained by a mechanical stop (not shown) that limits clockwise rotation in this open state. The combination of rotating toggle 311 and its associated rotational stops (not shown), valve plunger 309 and upward force 658 create a bi-stable valve mechanism than has two stable states (open and closed) in normal operating circumstances.
[0162] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 13, an address ratchet gear stack 504 rotates about a stationary axle 505 in response to input pressure sequences applied to valve 103 as previously described. Evaluation pin 516 rotates about axle 505 with gear stack 504 and, in the circumstance wherein a pressure sequence is received that corresponds to the pattern of missing teeth on the gears comprising address ratchet gear stack 504, evaluation pin 516 will be preferentially positioned to be evaluated. Evaluation lever 650 rotates about moving axle 652 which is preferentially mounted to sled 451 and experiences a vertically constrained mechanical motion 304 that substantially corresponds to the AC pressure waveform at the valve’s input 300. Up/down motion 304 of axle 652 provides the motive force for the embodiment of an open evaluation mechanism 307 of Figure 13. Evaluation lever 650 has a small extension or probe
651 that can, under the right circumstances, contact evaluation pin 516. Evaluation lever 650 is further connected to evaluation linkage 654 at pivot 653. Evaluation linkage 654 preferentially has a protrusion 660 that can contact a corresponding protrusion 659 on valve toggle 311 under the right circumstances. In the closed state (shown in the lower right of Figure 13), the valve toggle 311 and valve plunger 309 are preferentially positioned so that the evaluation linkage 654 protrusion 660 is very close to or contacts the valve toggle 311 protrusion 659. If, on an upward motion of sled 451 driven through axle 652 the probe 651 of evaluation lever 650 contacts the evaluation pin 516 from below (i.e. probe 651 is prevented from moving upward by the evaluation pin 516), evaluation lever 650 will experience a clockwise torque, rotate about axle
652 and generate a horizontal force 655 in evaluation linkage 654. In a preferred embodiment, this horizontal motion 655 of evaluation linkage 654 causes evaluation linkage protrusion 660 to push against valve toggle protrusion 659 with sufficient leftward force and movement to flip the state of the valve toggle from closed to open (i.e. rotating valve toggle 311 clockwise enough so that the restorative force 658 can move the valve plunger 309 up and the pivot point 657 maximally left). In this embodiment, the rotational position of gear stack 504’ s evaluation pin 516 is sampled by evaluation lever probe 651 and can trigger a bi-stable diaphragm valve mechanism (a bi-stable device comprising valve toggle 311, valve plunger 309 and diaphragm valve 313) to flip to an open state. In a preferred embodiment, the force required in the open evaluation mechanism 307 to generate a mechanical trigger 308 in evaluation linkage 654 is substantially smaller than the vertical force generated by the valve plunger 309 and valve toggle 311 by way of mechanical leverage. In this preferred embodiment, mechanical gain is achieved between the DC-removed AC logical signaling forces (such as those seen by sled 451 and driven into evaluation linkage 654) and large“power” forces, such as those seen by opening and closing diaphragm valves 313. Without such mechanical gain, the size of the valve fluid switching mechanism (e.g. 313) would have to be reduced which would restrict flow rates to a level as to be largely impractical for typical landscape installations. With such mechanical gain, the mechanical size of the address decoding and evaluating components can be preferentially reduced and simplified.
[0163] In an additional embodiment shown in Figure 13, a manual button plunger 661 can impinge on valve toggle 311 at protrusion 662 when valve toggle 311 is rotated maximally counterclockwise and the valve is in a closed state. A vertical downward motion on button shaft 661 that contacts protrusion 662 will generate a clockwise torque on valve toggle 311 and preferentially flip the state of the bi-stable valve from closed to open.
[0164] Those skilled in the art, with the benefits of the present teachings, will recognize any number of ways to implement a bi-stable mechanical valve element and setting/resetting means that can mechanically sample the position of a decoding mechanism that is selectively advanced by received pressure sequences. The mechanical state memory function of the present teachings can use any number or combinations of springs, elastomers, gravity, pressure and/or other restoring force and can take many mechanical configurations of levers, gears, slides, pins, axles, etc. with substantially the same functionality of capturing the instantaneous state of a selectively advanced element into a stored mechanical state. Such permutations and combinations of well know mechanical elements to implement the functionality of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present teachings. [0165] Figure 14 shows a closing mechanism and valve state storage mechanisms according to an embodiment of the invention. An address ratchet gear stack 504 including an evaluation pin 516 is selectively advanced by the action of high and low pressure pawls (pawls not shown) that respond to an incoming pressure sequence as previously described. If the pressure sequence matches the sequence of gear teeth encoding a locally unique binary address in address ratchet gear stack 504, the evaluation pin 516 is rotated to a position where a close evaluation lever 650 with a probe tip 651 can contact the evaluation pin 516 when pushed upward by a vertical motion at axle 652. Evaluation lever 650 can rotate about axle 652 which is attached to sled 451 and driven vertically with the AC mechanical signal 304 derived from a DC removal component 303 (not shown). If evaluation pin 516 is aligned so that probe tip 651 can contact it from below and a low pressure transition causes axle 652 to go up in Figure 14, the evaluation lever 650 will experience a clockwise torque and push close pushrod 701 through link pin 700 to the front left as oriented in Figure 14. Close pushrod 701 has a guide pin 702 extending from its far end that, when a close address is properly received, will push into a close catch 703 that rotates counterclockwise about stationary axle 704. A decoded and evaluated close operation will cause close pushrod 701 to contact close catch 703 and cause it to rotate counterclockwise about axle 704 which further causes the catch tooth of 703 to engage with a close ratchet gear 717.
Furthermore, when close catch 703 is rotated counterclockwise as described, a pre-compressed torsion spring 705 between close catch 703 and close pawl lever 706 will flip from providing clockwise torque to close pawl lever 706 rotating about stationary axle 707 to providing counterclockwise torque about stationary axle 707. In this case, close pawl lever 706 will pull on pawl transfer 709 through linkage joint 708 which further pulls on close pawl link 711 through linkage joint 710. Close pawl link 711 is constrained by a slot to slide and turn around power axle 712. If close pawl link 711 is pulled to the right in Figure 14, it will pull close pawl 714 to the right as well through linkage pin 713, causing the power tooth 716 on close pawl 714 to engage with close ratchet gear 717, which is affixed and able to transfer torque to power axle 712. From this action of receiving a pressure sequence that rotates address ratchet gear stack 504 to a position where evaluation pin 516 can exert downward force on an upward moving evaluation lever 650, the series of linkages 700 701 702 cause close catch 703 to rotate counterclockwise and engage with close ratchet gear 717. In addition, when close catch 703 is pushed to engage by pushrod 701, its rotation causes a cascade of mechanical reactions through compressed torsion spring 705 (which wants to expand) through close pawl lever 706, close pawl transfer 709 and close pawl link 711 to cause close pawl 714 to also engage with close ratchet gear 717. In this engaged state, both close catch 703 and close pawl 714 experience a restoring force supplied by torsion spring 705 that allows them to maintain positive contact with close ratchet gear 717. Close pawl 714 can pivot about moving axle 715 that is preferentially able to trace a curved path shown as a bold dotted line through axle 715 in response to incoming pressure swings. In this embodiment, the pawl drive axle 715 is driven by a linkage (not shown) to the rocker arm 402 to receive motion 302 over a wide (full) pressure range and with relatively high force from the hydraulic actuator 301 formed by HAM 407, rocker 402 and mainspring 404 (not shown). In the embodiment shown in Figure 14, a set close impulse 319 on close pushrod 701 as generated by evaluation lever 650 (which is substantially similar to open evaluation levers 650 in the same valve) causes two catch and pawl teeth to engage with close ratchet gear 717, that of close catch 703 that pivots about a fixed axle 704 and the tooth 716 of close pawl which pivots about an axle 715 that can be driven by hydraulic induced motion 302. When both teeth are engaged a low going pressure transition will cause mainspring 404 to contract, forcing close pawl 714 to move downward in Figure 14 thus advancing close ratchet gear 717
counterclockwise. Close catch 703, if engaged, will capture and retain the advancement of close ratchet gear 717. By this action, a sequence of high to low pressure transitions received by the hydraulic actuator 301 can cause close ratchet gear 717 to rotate incrementally in a
counterclockwise direction if close pawl 714 and close catch 703 are engaged. Referring to the valve block diagram of Figure 6, the close evaluation mechanism 318 comprises the evaluation lever 650 and its associated components and actions which creates an impulse on close pushrod 701 to set 319 the state of close bit 320 which comprises the close catch 703 and close pawl 714 and their linkages. Torsion spring 705 provides the expanding restoring force (gain) to stabilize the mechanical close bit 320 as well as provide a force for pawl 714 and catch 703 to maintain positive contact with close ratchet gear 717 when engaged. This mechanical close bit 320 so formed has two stable states restored by the expansion of torsion spring 705 herein called engaged and disengaged. The engaged state is defined as the close bit 320 state where both close catch 703 and close pawl 714 are engaged with close ratchet gear 717. The disengaged state is defined as the state where neither close catch 703 nor close pawl 714 are engaged with close ratchet gear 717. The disengaged state of close bit 320 is achieved by applying a clockwise torque to close catch 703, causing it to rotate about fixed axle 704 and flip the direction of the torque of torsion spring 705 on close pawl lever 706 to a clockwise direction which in turn pushes links 709 and 711 to disengage close pawl 714 from close ratchet gear 717. In a preferred embodiment, the dimensions of the engaging teeth of 703 and 714 to respective fixed axles 704 and 715 as well as the arm lengths from fixed axles 704 and 715 to torsion spring 705 and mechanical limits to such motions (not shown) are configured so that a set 319 or reset 326 action on close catch 703 will drive torsion spring 705 to flip the direction of the restorative torque it provides to 703 and 714 so that they maintain synchronization (i.e. either both engaged or both disengaged). In the transition from engaged to disengaged state, one or both teeth of 703 and/or 714 may be temporarily caught due to the rake of the ratchet gear 717 and catch/pawl teeth; in a preferred embodiment, the geometry of pawls, levers, linkages, limits and torsion spring and evaluation pressure transition direction (e.g. high to low) are chosen so that close catch 703 can easily disengage (upon evaluation) and/or close pawl 714 can disengage slightly later (after evaluation, on a low to high transition) when mechanically released to resolve such temporary impediments to a fully disengaged state.
[0166] Referring to Figure 14, in the close engaged state, pressure cycling at the valve input 300 preferentially can create sufficient motion of close pawl 714 to incrementally turn close ratchet gear 717 and power axle 712 counterclockwise. Transfer gear 718 is similarly affixed to power axle 712 and meshes with idler gear 719 which turns about axle 720. In the close engaged state, idler gear 719 turns clockwise and drives crank gear 721 counterclockwise about stationary axle 656 which is preferentially shared with one or more valve toggles 311 which drive one or more valve plungers 309 through one or more pivots 657 to control the open and close state of one or more diaphragm valves 313 at the bottom of plunger(s) 309 (diaphragm valve(s) not shown). As described previously, in an open state valve toggle 311 is maximally rotated clockwise and experiences a restorative clockwise torque from the upward force 658 of the input hydraulic pressure acting on the diaphragm valve 313 (not shown). In the case where the close bit 320 is set and consequently close catch 703, close pawl 714 and ratchet gear 717 are engaged, pressure cycling at hydraulic input 300 will cause crank gear 721 to turn incrementally counterclockwise around axle 656 at each downward pressure transition and push close bar 722 into a protrusion 723 on open valve toggle(s) 311. In this embodiment, close bar 722 rotates in an arc around axle 656 to transfer rotary power from crank gear 721 to one or more open valve toggle(s) 311. In this state, as repeated mechanical cycling of close pawl 714 is induced by pressure cycling (i.e. dotted line trace at pivot 715), the crank gear 721 will be incrementally turned counterclockwise at each high to low pressure transition and thus, through the rotation of close bar 722 working against valve toggle protrusion 723 will force 323B all open valve toggles 311 counterclockwise as well, forcing open valve plunger(s) 309 incrementally downward in Figure 14 and hence closing one or more open diaphragm valve(s) 313. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure transition responsible for incrementally closing diaphragm valves 313 is chosen to be a high to low pressure transition so that the diaphragm counter force 658 that competes with the crank gear 721 and valve toggle 311 closing force is minimized (diaphragm restorative force 658 is approximately proportional to input pressure).
[0167] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 14, a crank bracket 724 is preferentially affixed to axle 656 and close bar 722 and rotates about fixed axle 656 with close bar 722. A compressed torsion spring 725 is arranged to provide an expansive force from crank bracket 724 to a reset toggle 726 which rotates about axle 656. Fixed mechanical stops (not shown) limit the rotation range of reset toggle 726, but within the available range of rotation, reset toggle 726 can rotate freely around axle 656. Reset toggle 726 is further attached to reset pushrod 728 through joint 727 and has a guide pin 729 extending from the far end that passes through an opening in close catch 703. In operation, the reset toggle 726, torsion spring 725 and crank bracket 724 are configured so that reset toggle 726 will flip to an opposing rotation state when crank bracket 724 approaches either of its extrema. In the case where the close catch 703 and close pawl 714 are engaged and the crank gear 721 is beginning to turn close bar 722, close bracket 724 and any open valve toggles 311 counterclockwise to start to close valves, preferentially reset toggle 726 is in a maximally counterclockwise position about axle 656. As the open diaphragm valves 313 are closed by the action of plunger(s) 309 and toggles 311 turned by crank gear 721,
preferentially once the valve plunger(s) have completely closed any open diaphragm valves 313 and the intrinsic valve state(s) formed by the restorative force(s) 658, valve plunger(s) 309 and valve toggle(s) 311 have flipped into closed state(s), the crank bracket 724 will reach a rotation angle wherein the reset toggle 726 will be forced by the expansive action of torsion spring 725 to flip to its maximally clockwise position, pushing down on reset pushrod 728 which contacts close catch 703 and thus imparting a clockwise torque about axle 704. In this case, the close catch 703 tooth is rotated away from close ratchet gear 717 and through the previously discussed linkages will result in the subsequent disengagement of both close catch 703 and close pawl 714. Once disengaged, the close catch 703 and close pawl 714 preferentially cannot prevent reverse rotation (i.e. clockwise rotation) of ratchet gear 717, power axle 712 and transfer gear 718. In this state (all diaphragm valves 313 closed), the crank gear 721, close bar 722 and crank bracket 724 are at a maximal counterclockwise rotation, but otherwise relatively free to rotate clockwise. Preferentially a small holding force generated by torsion spring 725 keeps crank gear 721, close bar 722 and crank bracket 724 against a mechanical stop (not shown). In this state, herein referred to as the all closed state, any subsequent decode and opening of any valve(s) triggered by at least one open link 654 pushing 308 into an associated valve toggle 311 will preferentially cause restorative force 658 from diaphragm valves 313 (driven by input hydraulic pressure) to apply a strong clockwise torque 323 A to valve toggle 311 about axle 656 which, through protrusion 723, will apply a strong clockwise torque to close bar 722, crank gear 721 and crank bracket 724 and preferentially overcome the small restorative force presented by compressed torsion spring 725 to quickly turn the close crank mechanism 322 (including 721 722 724) to its maximally clockwise state about axle 656, turning idler gear 719 counterclockwise and the power axle 712 (and its affixed gears 717 718) clockwise (in this disengaged state they are free to spin). As a result of this open process, reset toggle 726 is consequently and preferentially flipped to its maximally counterclockwise state about axle 656, moving reset pushrod 728 upward and enabling close catch 703 (and close pawl 714 through linkages and torsion spring 705, forming close bit 320) to be set to an engaged state by any subsequent positive evaluation by 650 651 of a close address ratchet gear stack 504 rotation. In a preferred embodiment, the reset force 324 provided into close catch 703 by torsion spring 725 acting through reset toggle 726 on reset pushrod 728 is stronger than the restorative force of the close bit 320 provided by compressed torsion spring 705, i.e. the reset 324 can override the state of the close bit 320.
[0168] In a further embodiment, a link 329 between the hydraulic actuator rocker 402 and the close bit 320 may be implemented using a simple lever and/or pushrod (not shown in Figure 14) to impart a counterclockwise torque on close catch 703 in the orientation of Figure 14 when the input pressure at 300 drops below a threshold. This imparted counterclockwise torque at low input pressure will preferentially be sufficient to cause the close catch 703 and close pawl 714 to engage with close ratchet gear 717 as previously described (setting close bit 320) if input pressure drops below this absolute threshold (e.g. 5PSI). In this embodiment, setting the close bit 320 at very low pressures is useful as a safety mechanism to resolve accidental
depressurizations by inadvertent valve openings; irrigation appliance 101 can cycle pressure, perhaps at special amplitudes and/or frequencies, to close all open valves and bring the network 102 105 110 to a state wherein signal integrity and pressurization required for communication can be restored.
[0169] Those skilled in the art will recognize many combinations and permutations of levers, gears, springs, pushrods, links, axles, etc. that can be used to achieve substantially similar functionality. The core aspects of the valve close mechanism embodied by the present teachings are that it can be engaged by manual button or a hydraulic address decode and evaluation, that it can be disengaged by a self-clearing mechanism and that when disengaged it presents a very low load on the hydraulic actuator. Other configurations, permutations and combinations that considerably provide similar functionality are considered within the scope of and enabled by the present teachings. [0170] Figure 15 shows an embodiment of a multiport diaphragm valve 314 construction with a representative cross-sectional view. A valve base 401 comprising a manifold top 750 and manifold bottom 751 are shown disassembled and separated for clarity at the top of Figure 15. Assembled, manifold top 750 and manifold bottom 751 are tightly compressed with an elastomer diaphragm 752 that seals the manifold top 750 and manifold bottom 751 to form, in the shown example, four diaphragm valve chambers 757 758 759 760. Valve plungers 309 are constrained laterally by conduits 753 and move substantially vertically as described previously to open and close diaphragm valves 313. Valve frame 400 is affixed to manifold top 750. A small hydraulic connection 754 passes input pressure through to a hydraulic actuator 301 407 (not shown in Figure 15). A set of input orifices 755 with substantially round protrusions 756 are connected to hydraulic input 300. In the embodiment shown in Figure 15, four elastomer spheres 761 are affixed to the bottoms of valve plungers 309 to provide additional elastic response in the aforementioned restorative force 658. Such restorative force can be achieved many ways using springs and/or molded single piece elastomer diaphragms, among others known in the art.
[0171] The multiport diaphragm valve of Figure 15 controls flows between a common input pressure source 755 300 and any of four output ports 757 758 759 760 in any combination depending on the vertical position of the four corresponding valve plungers 309. If a valve plunger 309 is strongly forced downward in Figure 15, the corresponding elastomer sphere 761 and portion of elastomer diaphragm 752 are compressed against the corresponding input orifice 756, sealing off flow from hydraulic input 755 300 to a given diaphragm valve output, e.g. 760. Conversely, if a valve plunger 309 is allowed to move upward in Figure 15, a portion of diaphragm 752 will be pushed upward by the input hydraulic pressure at 755 300 and will permit flow between input 755 300 and a corresponding diaphragm valve output, e.g. 757 314.
[0172] Those skilled in the art will recognize the multitude of possible design configurations for forming a bank of diaphragm valves that can be mechanically controlled by valve plungers 309. The choice of elastomers, input and output manifold shapes, plunger shapes, seal designs, chamber materials, flow capacity as well as considerations such as cost, design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) objectives and constraints, reliability, maintainability, familiarity, supply chain compatibility, chemical tolerance, debris tolerance, potential for entrapped air, inclusion with other components (e.g. an integrated output pressure regulator (not shown)) are examples of the issues confronting a designer when reducing the present teachings to practice. These specific engineering choices for implementing the present teachings are known in the art and do not limit the scope of the present invention. [0173] Figure 16 shows a representative physical embodiment of a valve core and valve base of the present invention. Valve core 800 preferentially contains one or more hydromechanical digital receiver(s) according to the present teachings that enable hydraulic pressure signals to control one or more valve plungers 309. Valve core 800 further comprises one or more open buttons 315 and a close button 325. In one embodiment, a selected open button 315 can exert a torque on a given valve toggle 311 (not shown in Figure 16, but within valve core 800) to raise a valve plunger 309 and open a corresponding diaphragm valve 313. In one embodiment, close button 325 preferentially sets 329 close bit 320 using a pushrod and/or lever (not shown) and additionally provides motive force (e.g. into rocker 402) to incrementally advance close ratchet gear 717 through close pawl 714. Valve core 800 fits into valve base 801 which is preferentially connected to a hydraulic network 102 105 110. Valve core 800 has, at its base, an elastomer diaphragm 802 that performs a function substantially similar to that of elastomer diaphragm 752 previously described. When assembled (i.e. valve core 800 inserted down into valve base 801), valve core 800 and valve base 801 sandwich valve diaphragm 802 tightly and create, similar to the construction of Figure 15, a set of diaphragm valve chambers (not shown in Figure 16) at the bottom of valve base 801. Valve core 800 is preferentially held in place by fasteners (not shown) using valve core holes 805 in protrusions 803 that, when assembled, pull valve core 800 down toward ledges 804 as said fasteners are tightened into valve base holes 806 one of which is shown in the cutaway view on the right of Figure 16. The keyed shape of valve core 800 and valve base ledges 804 as well as alignment tabs 807 at the bottom of valve core 800 and cutouts 808 in the ledges 804 of valve base 801 preferentially enforce an unambiguous assembly orientation of valve core 800 into valve base 801.
[0174] In a further embodiment, valve base 801 contains a self-sealing valve (not shown) that isolates network pressure 102 105 110 in the case where a valve core 800 is removed. A spring- loaded plunger within valve base 801 (not shown) is displaced vertically when valve core 800 is installed into valve base 801, permitting flow between network 102 105 110, valve outputs 314 106 and hydraulic actuator 301. In this embodiment, valve cores 800 can be removed from and reinstalled into valve bases 801 when the network 102 105 110 is under pressure with little leakage or flow interruption which can simplify installation and maintenance activities.
[0175] In a further embodiment, valve base 801 integrates fixed or adjustable pressure regulators on valve outputs 314 to limit the transmission of pressure variations from input 300 to output(s)
314 and/or to isolate the output emitters 107 108 109 from the hydraulic network 102 105 110.
In a further embodiment, valve base 801 integrates fixed or adjustable flow regulators on valve outputs 314 to limit the transmission of pressure variations from input 300 to output(s) 314 and/or to isolate the output emitters 107 108 109 from the hydraulic network 102 105 110. In a further embodiment, valve base 801 integrates one or more debris filters on valve inputs 300 and/or valve outputs 314 to prevent the propagation of debris within the hydraulic network 102 105 110, valves 103, terminations 104, output ports 106, emitters 107 108 109 and/or appliance 101
[0176] The valve base embodiment of Figure 16 further comprises two hydraulic network 102 105 110 connections 809 that act as a pass through and connection to network 102 105 110 hydraulic pressure. In the case where a valve 103 is at the end of a spur 105 or branch 110, one of ports 809 can be plugged. In one embodiment of the present teachings, quick connect fittings 810 are utilized to enable the assembly and disassembly of valve base 801 with network pipe 012 105 110 to be accomplished without tools (i.e. hand tightened). Valve base 801 in the embodiment shown in Figure 16 further comprises four diaphragm valve outputs 106 314 811 that are preferentially controlled by the hydromechanical receiver of the present invention. In this embodiment, similar quick connect fittings 812 are used to allow rapid and tool-less assembly and disassembly of valve base 801 with output pipes 106. In a preferred embodiment, input hydraulic pipe into network ports 809 is visually distinguishable from diaphragm output pipe from ports 811 to minimize installation mistakes. Such distinguishing can be accomplished with different colors, sizes, textures, printed markings or combinations thereof, among other options. In a further preferred embodiment, the fluid routing within valve base 801 between network ports 809 presents a negligible flow resistance and thus negligible perturbations to the transmission line impedance when connected to a hydraulic network 102 105 110.
[0177] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 16, one or more barcodes 813 are affixed to the valve core 800. In a preferred embodiment, barcode 813 contains information and/or a unique digital identifier that allows, potentially in conjunction with a database, cloud storage and/or service, table, algorithm, app, decompression and/or decryption means, for a scanning device to determine key features, parameters and/or operating history of a particular valve core 800, including but not limited to the digital addresses of the various operations that can be decoded by that particular valve core 800, e.g. the addresses corresponding to pressure sequences required to activate one or more particular address ratchet gear stacks 504 contained within valve core 800 to affect opening or closing of output diaphragm valve ports 811 314. Barcode 813 can be affixed to the top of valve core 800 to facilitate scanning while valve core 800 is inside valve base 801 and/or to the side of valve core 800 to serve as a redundant and/or more protected duplicate. In an alternative embodiment, barcode 813 can be replaced by or augmented with a near field communications (NFC) or RFID tag which can be electronically scanned. Many such identifying means are well known in the art; such means may include printing, engraving, laser or chemical etching and may take many human- and/or machine-readable forms (symbols, barcodes, graphics, colored patches, etc.); the present invention only requires some identifying means that partially or wholly represents either directly or indirectly (e.g. through a lookup table) information about the pressure sequence required to control a given device.
[0178] In the embodiment of Figure 16, a user and/or installer can remove a grade level cover (not shown in Figure 16) to access manual button controls 315 325 as well as to scan a barcode 813 to associate valve outputs 106 to emitters 107 or lookup information available in irrigation appliance 101, cloud service(s), app(s), etc. as is well known in the art. In a further embodiment, valve core 800 can be removed to perform maintenance, e.g. replacing diaphragm 802 and/or cleaning a debris filter (not shown). In a further embodiment, one or more adjustable output port pressure regulators (not shown) in valve base 801 can be adjusted and/or maintained (e.g. with a screwdriver) when valve core 800 is removed from valve base 801.
[0179] Those skilled in the art will recognize the variety of choices for the number of network ports and the number and configuration of output ports and connection types. Such
configurations and implementation choices depend on use cases, e.g. a string of emitter valves may benefit from outputs configured on just one side of a rectangular housing or a cylindrical housing with fewer or greater number of outputs or button positions that encourage gravity drainage of standing water. Furthermore, levers or knobs may be preferable to buttons for manual activation or deactivation of flows; such mechanical permutations and configurations are well known design variations in the art and are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0180] Figures 7 through 16 describe a particular embodiment of a valve 103 that utilizes at its core a diaphragm valve 313 that is sized to provide practical flow rates to drive irrigation sprinklers or drip emitters to one or more target watering zones. The interdependencies of desired flow rates, pipe sizing, pipe impedance, valve manifold sizing, valve construction (e.g. diaphragm valve vs. ball valve), torque requirements, signaling speed, protocol length, flow sensing precision, pressure modulation ranges relative to elevation tolerances, component working pressures, manufacturing tolerances, hydraulic actuator sizing and power, spring sizing, irrigation appliance component selections, etc. are complex; however, they can have multiple operating points that satisfy all engineering and business constraints, of which one has been described herein in detail. With the benefits of the present teachings, those skilled in the art of hydromechanical design can compose multiple equally workable implementations of pressure controlled hydraulic networks with the benefits and features of the present teachings. [0181] Figure 17 shows a protocol and operational flow chart for selectively addressing and operating hydraulic valves on an irrigation network according to an embodiment of the invention. In initial step 850 of this embodiment, an irrigation appliance 101 performs a boot sequence comprising self-checks, network checks, pressure modulations, soundings, flow measurements, flushes, etc. to get the network into a state conducive to low error rate hydraulic communications and to reset all addressing gears and valves in the hydraulically connected network 102 105 110 (i.e. substantially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 are turned to a common start position, as previously described, and all valves 103 are substantially closed).
[0182] In step 851 of this embodiment, an AM modulated pressure sequence (e.g. 602) is transmitted that ramps down the AC amplitude of the pressure modulation over one or more cycles. If elevation or flow related static pressure changes are present (e.g. an open sprinkler causes a pressure drop over a long distance of network pipe 102 105 110), the adaptation operation 851 will re-center the DC-removal mechanism 303 so that subsequent smaller amplitude pressure modulations will be interpreted correctly by the hydromechanical valve decoder of the present invention.
[0183] In step 852 of this embodiment, a start sequence (e.g. 603) is first transmitted by irrigation appliance 101 followed by a sequence (e.g. 604) designed to clock all unevaluated address ratchet gear stacks 504 past the point at which their respective evaluation pins 516 can contact evaluation mechanisms 851. Because of these transmissions, substantially all unevaluated address gear stacks are in the same state of post-start advancement (i.e. the race has been started equally for all address ratchet gear stacks 504).
[0184] In step 853 of this embodiment, a pressure sequence (e.g. 605) is transmitted by irrigation appliance 101 that, if intended, matches the tooth pattern on one or more hydraulically connected address ratchet gear stacks 504 on hydraulic network 102 105 110. At the completion of the address transmission step 853, one or more address ratchet gear stacks 504 in the hydraulically connected network 102 105 110 have been selectively rotated so that their respective evaluation pins 516 are preferentially ahead of all non-selected address ratchet gear stacks' 504 evaluation pins 516 in the hydraulically connected network 102 105 110.
[0185] In step 854 of this embodiment, an evaluation sequence is transmitted by irrigation appliance 101 comprising a winner advance sequence (e.g. 606) which advances preferentially all address ratchet gear stacks 504 that are selected and have won the advancement race as well as an evaluation sequence (e.g. 607) which has the effect of driving evaluation lever 650 651 to contact the winning address ratchet gear stack 504 evaluation pins 516, created a mechanical impulse that can drive an operation at a selected device (e.g. open a diaphragm valve 313 or set a close bit 320). In a further embodiment, the evaluation pulse pressure sequence 854 607 can exceed the normal signaling pressure range to generate more motive force to drive such operations.
[0186] For diaphragm opening operations, the evaluation sequence of step 854 directly opens one or more valves and starts water flowing to one or more valve outputs 106. The increased flow can induce new pressure drops in the hydraulic network 102 105 110. In the case where the irrigation appliance wants to send another address immediately, flowchart pathway 855 can be chosen wherein the irrigation appliance returns to step 851 and sends a next ramp down AM modulated pressure cycle sequence (e.g. 602) which has the effects of first re-establishing a new DC-removal operating point (capturing flow related pressure changes) and second advancing substantially all non-winning address ratchet gear stacks 504 to the common starting position.
[0187] In one embodiment of the present invention, the irrigation appliance 101 monitors network flow after evaluation step 854 for valve opening operations (or more generally, flow changing operations). In this embodiment, a stabilization time (not shown) may be necessary to allow the output network 106 and emitters 107 to achieve a stable and measurable flow (e.g. if they are voiding air pockets or require some initial flow to popup and start rotating consistently). Furthermore, for very low flows (e.g. < 1GPH), a long integration time may be necessary to achieve sufficient flow measurement accuracy. Irrigation appliance 101 can preferentially compare the measured flow, startup characteristics and the load’s response to dynamic changes (e.g. in pressure) to manufacturing specifications for the expected sprinklers and/or dripline, historical data (from previous flows), configuration changes, etc. to detect the success or failure of the transmitted 852 and evaluated 853 operation. In this way, the irrigation appliance 101 can sense whether the transmitted operation was successfully executed, and consider this an acknowledgement (or, if failing, a non-acknowledgement) from a communication protocol perspective (ACK/NACK) (e.g., an acknowledgment of message receipt/ a negative
acknowledgment indicating message receipt failure), which can further trigger additional adaptive actions (e.g. retries, retries with changes to signal amplitudes, levels, frequencies, etc.) to improve communication reliability as is well known in the art.
[0188] In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the ramp down 851 cycle count (e.g. in 602) can be shorter than a complete rotation of address ratchet gear stack 504 while still rotating all non-winning address ratchet gear stacks 504 (i.e. race losers) to the known starting position. In an example case of back-to-back valve open operations, only open operation race losers can possibly be meaningful address race winners on the next valve open address operation; any winners from prior races have already been opened and a second open operation, even accidental and mistimed, will have no effect on winners or losers in this embodiment. In this circumstance where certain address ratchet gear stacks 504 don’t care about receiving subsequent packets (e.g. more opening commands to an already opened valve), they do not need to be in the set of receiving address ratchet gear stacks 504 that are required to rotate to a known starting position in step 851. In this case, the irrigation appliance 101 may shorten the adaptive cycle count in step 851 to fewer than a complete rotation of address ratchet gear stacks 504 since race losers will often see at least some transitions that will advance (preferentially around half of the sequence length) all address ratchet gear stacks 504. In an additional embodiment, the
ACK/NACK result from prior valve operations (opening and/or closing) may influence the length of the adaptive cycle count in step 851, i.e. if a valve open operation fails (e.g. flow didn’t increase correctly) a longer adaptive cycle count will be used in 851 prior to a retry to that same valve, perhaps with different timing and/or pressure levels. Such communication pass/fail information can be stored in irrigation appliance 101 or pushed to a cloud service or storage for further use improving the system and product performance.
[0189] Note that in proper operation the address ratchet gear stacks 504 that win the race in step 853 will complete more than a full revolution (only winners advance in step 854) whereas address ratchet gear stacks 504 that lose the race (by mismatching the received address pressure sequence during step 853) will not complete a rotation in steps 851 852 853 854 and be amenable to returning to the start position with fewer than a full rotation’s worth of ramp down clearing cycles in step 851.
[0190] In normal operation, the irrigation appliance can immediately schedule another communication shown in pathway 855, which returns to adaptive cycle step 851 to re-establish a new DC-removal operating point if required. Alternatively, if the irrigation appliance 101 requires a delivery of some amount of water (volumetrically) or to irrigate for some amount of time, pathway 856 can lead to step 857 wherein the irrigation appliance runs and preferentially monitors a flow for an interval or for a volume. In an embodiment, the irrigation appliance accounts for the finite communication time required to affect a next valve open or close command when scheduling communications and in a further embodiment measures the actual time or flow required to successfully start and end irrigation to one or more valve outputs 106, through flow sensors or other means (e.g. a timer). In this way, the irrigation appliance 101 can keep a detailed account of valve 103 timing and flows (including integrated flow, i.e. volume) to each output zone 106 to inform e.g. a soil moisture model or evapotranspiration (ET) model for weather-aware smart irrigation and/or consumption monitoring, among other uses. In this embodiment, in step 857 with at least one open valve the irrigation appliance can take a pathway 858 back to step 851 in preparation for the next address operation (e.g. open or close one or more valve outputs 106).
[0191] In the embodiment of Figure 17, if evaluation step 854 was a successfully received close operation, the target diaphragm valve of Figure 6 will have a set close bit 320 and at least one open valve port 314 106. In this situation, additional hydraulic cycles are needed as previously described to implement the valve closing operation by providing power to the close crank mechanism 322 of Figure 6. Pathway 859 in this case leads to power cycle step 860 wherein the irrigation appliance 101 preferentially sends high amplitude cycles that can efficiently close diaphragm valves 313 (or more generally, implement the received state change(s)). In a generalization, the hydromechanical receiver of the present invention can have a low energy state change (e.g. captured in a mechanical close bit 320) that then controls a high energy state change (e.g. closing a large diaphragm valve against input pressure) utilizing hydraulic power transmitted by an irrigation appliance 101 as a series of power cycles 860. In an alternative embodiment, a hydromechanically addressable ball valve may require power cycles 860 to both open and close (i.e. a low energy open bit (not shown) may be set by evaluation 854 and require power cycles in 860 to take effect, i.e. to turn the ball valve open). Such low amplitude addressing, selection and bit-setting followed by high power mechanical completion can be utilized to implement many features on a hydromechanical irrigation network, such as adjusting termination 104 pressure remotely, implementing spray pattern adjustments (directional angles and radius), turning hose bibs on, off or partway (e.g. with ball valves), etc. Such extensions and use cases of the present invention are now available to hydromechanical designers as a result of the present teachings.
[0192] In a preferred embodiment of the present teachings, valves 103 comprise multiple output ports 106 that are individually addressable and a shared close mechanism and address that can close any open output ports 106. Since diaphragm valves 313 are directly opened by the evaluation step 854, in this embodiment open packets can be considerably shorter and with fewer cycles than close packets, which require some number of power cycles 860 to take effect. In a preferred operation mode, valves ports 106 are opened in groups, e.g. by opening a set of valve outputs 106 with the longest runtimes first, then perhaps opening others later, potentially within other valves 103, and then ultimately sending a common shared close operation (perhaps multicast across multiple valves 103) followed by power cycles 860 that close many open valve ports 106 at the same time, potentially across many valves 103. In this embodiment, the hydraulic modulation created by irrigation appliance can be optimized to achieve many desirable goals, for example minimizing communication overhead, reducing wear on components, minimizing noise, minimizing waste, minimizing energy consumption, minimizing pump 216 on/off cycling, minimizing tank 212 219 cost and size, improving flow rate measurement precision, minimizing modulation with running flows (modulation may be visible in spray patterns), etc.
[0193] In the embodiment of Figure 17, if, after closing one or more valve outputs 106, the irrigation appliance 101 requires additional open runtime for open valves 103, it can take pathway 862 back to monitoring/measuring flow step 857. Alternatively, if the irrigation appliance desires to send another communication packet, it can exit power cycle step 860 through pathway 861 to return to sending ramp down cycles in step 851 so that valves 103 can re-evaluate their DC-removal operating position and capture any pressure changes that may have resulted from the state changes of any valves 103 on the network 102 105 110, for example. In the case where the irrigation appliance 101 has completed its communication and irrigation tasks, the irrigation appliance can exit power cycle step 860 through pathway 863 to enter a shutdown process 864 which can, among other things, depressurize the network 102 105 110 and otherwise prepare the system of Figure 1 for inactivity, e.g. by shutting bypass, turning off pumps, entering a low power state. In an alternative exit scenario, a designated valve 103 may be opened for the purposes of draining the network 102 105 110 in which case pathway 866 can be taken directly from an evaluation step 854 (which e.g. opened a valve output port 106) to shutdown step 864.
In an alternative embodiment, a valve port 106 may be opened in step 854 and then run for a scheduled time and/or volume in step 857, then exit to shutdown 864 via pathway 865. In this case, one or more designated valves 103 can have open ports to aid the depressurization of the network 102 105 110 at shutdown 864, minimizing drainage at irrigation appliance 101 through drain valve 213, for example.
[0194] Exit state 864 can return to entry state 850 when activated by a user, timer, sensor, etc. through pathway 867. In an embodiment, in the case where one or more valve ports 106 may have been left open as described above to aid shutdown depressurization in step 864, the startup process 850 can send a“close all” multicast address during its initialization of the network. In an alternative or additional embodiment, valves 103 are equipped with a low pressure sensing mechanism that can set 329 close bit 320 and thus only require power cycling from irrigation appliance 101 during boot sequence 850 to achieve a network state wherein substantially all well-behaved valves 103 are closed during step 850.
[0195] In a further embodiment of the invention, irrigation appliance 101 may implement additional checks and signaling (not shown) such as reducing the slew rate when checking or mitigating for entrapped air, performing detailed leak analysis, executing“all close” broadcast or multicast commands.
[0196] Those skilled in the art of hydromechanical design will recognize the numerous well- known design options available to achieve similar functionality to the specific examples presented here. Converting the positions of one or more selectively advanced address ratchet gears 504 into mechanical triggers that then open or close some type of bi-stable valve mechanism can take many forms utilizing many configurations of levers, arms, pins, cams, escapements, gears, slides, etc. operating on ball valves, pilot valves, gate vales, butterfly valves, etc. using springs, elastomers, pistons, bellows, alternative diaphragm arrangements, etc. to implement a means to control flow. Similarly, the manual override of such open or closed valve state can take many forms other than buttons, e.g. dials, cranks, sliders, thumbwheels, knobs, etc. The specific design illustrated herein is one of many possible implementations available to a designer with the benefit of the present teachings; the invention generally requires a means to convert one or more selectively addressed ratchet gear positions into stable mechanical states of a mechanical control which can take many forms to those skilled in the art. Such engineering choices can be driven by a multitude of factors, including materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, force requirements, speed, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, engineering familiarity, form factor, user experience and ease of field maintenance, among others.
[0197] In another embodiment of the invention, a discrete set or analog state may be
implemented using the methods of the present teachings. For example, a ball valve can be partially opened and left in that state using a shortened or paused sequence of power pressure cycles to control the watering pattern of one or more sprinkler heads. One or more valves 103 may be partially closed to simplify winterization blow out using compressed air. Alternatively, a special operation corresponding to another independently addressable ratchet gear stack 504 can encode an operation such as“half open” or“all open” to facilitate such winterization or other desired operation.
[0198] In an additional implementation, a pressure sequenced command corresponding to a selectively advanced address ratchet gear 504 may implement a desired sequence of events at a valve, such as advancing a secondary mechanism. A sector-by-sector rotary sprinkler head may be constructed using the present teachings that, upon receipt of an“advance spray angle” command, rotates a spray head by some number of degrees to a new position. In a further embodiment, the irrigation appliance 101 can modulate the supplied pressure to affect the irrigation radius of such a sector-by-sector sprinkler head and the irrigation dwell time per sector (i.e. the delay between successive“advance” commands); coupled with a“reset to start” or similar such command (and another corresponding address ratchet gear stack 504) a software controlled two dimensional watering pattern (radius and angle controlled by irrigation appliance 101) can be achieved.
[0199] Note that the polarity of pressure cycles shown in the examples herein can be inverted; i.e. the mechanical action taken at a high going pressure can be flipped and replaced with a mechanical action taken at a low going pressure. Such inversions of the DC and AC mechanical motions and their corresponding advancements, resets, latching, catching, releases, restoring, toggling, or other mechanical results are permutations considered within the scope of the present teachings.
[0200] Figure 18 shows a block diagram of a representative irrigation system according to an embodiment of the invention comprising a fluid source 100, an irrigation appliance 101, a pipe network 102 105, one or more valves 103, one or more terminations 104, one or more switched valve outputs 106 and one or more emitters 107 as in Figure 1. In this embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 connects over a wireless interface 908 to a Wi-Fi access point 909 which is connected 910 to cloud service(s) 912 which provide account management, storage,
configuration, remote access, connectivity and security among other functions as is well known in the art of internet connected automation devices. In the embodiment of Figure 18, one or more smartphones 902 are also connected via Wi-Fi 908 and/or mobile radios 911 so that an application on one or more smartphone(s) 902 can communicate, coordinate, control and interface with the cloud service(s) 912 and irrigation appliance 101 via Wi-Fi 908 and/or cellular 911 connection. In a further embodiment, smartphone 902 has an embedded camera 903, an optional embedded NFC reader 904 and other common subsystems (not shown) such as global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth and 9-axis sensors. In a further embodiment smartphone camera 903 can be used to take photos 905 of plants 901 and general landscape locations and/or valve core barcodes 813 (or similar identifying marks, not shown) of various system components including irrigation appliance 101, valve cores 800, valve bases 801 and termination(s) 104 to aid in their identification, commission, configuration, reporting, control, operation,
decommission, indexing, searching, association, etc. In a still further embodiment, NFC reader 904 can be used to onboard, configure, identify, control, operate, commission, decommission, index, search, lookup system components such as the irrigation appliance 101, valves 103, terminations 104, emitters 107, among other things. [0201] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the specific connectivity choices (e.g. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) can be easily replaced with other connectivity options to achieve a substantially similar functionality. Similarly, a tablet computer, augmented reality (AR) glasses or PC could be substituted for smartphone 902 to achieve substantially similar functionality; such variants including device type, peripherals, connectivity options, cloud service partitioning and architecture are well known in the art and the specificity of the architecture detailed in Figure 18 is meant as an illustration of a potential configuration and not a limitation of the present teachings.
[0202] Figure 19 shows a representative onboarding flow chart for installing, operating and amending an irrigation system as in Figure 18 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, an installer or user installs 950 an app 950 on a smartphone 902, initializes an account for the installation then installs and hooks up services (such as a water source and electrical power source) to an irrigation appliance 101. The installer onboards irrigation appliance 101 in step 951 to communicate 908 with Wi-Fi access point 909 and cloud service(s) 912, associating a site and irrigation appliance 101 with the established cloud account. Such onboarding is well known in the art; passing Wi-Fi or cellular credentials to irrigation appliance 101 can take many forms using, among other things, a keyboard and/or display, a smartphone app, a Bluetooth connection 907, a NFC tag and reader 904, a barcode and camera 903, a web interface from a PC (not shown) and/or a wired interface such as USB, Ethernet, a memory card or a thumb drive; the present teachings are not sensitive to a particular choice of connection setup. At the end of step 951 in this embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 can communicate with and be managed by either or both of smartphone 902 and/or cloud service(s) 912.
[0203] In step 952 of this embodiment, substantially all of the prospective valve cores 800 that could be installed at a site are scanned by smartphone 902 using its camera 903 and barcodes on valves 813 and/or its NFC reader 903 and NFC tags on valve cores (not shown). In this embodiment, such batch scanning initializes the set of available devices for a given installation. In a further embodiment, if any of the scanned identifiers (e.g. barcode 813 or NFC) indicate that a given valve address (corresponding to an address ratchet gear tooth sequence within a valve core 800) already exists in the set of scanned valves to be installed, an alert on smartphone 902 indicates to the installer to set aside that particular valve to prevent the installation of duplicate addresses on this hydraulic network. In a further embodiment, the addresses encoded by address ratchet gears 504 are substantially randomized at manufacturing and a long enough address length (e.g. 21 bits) is chosen so that the probability of such an address collision at installation is manageably small (e.g. less than a one percent chance of any given set of valves experiencing a collision at step 952 for a reasonably sized site, e.g. a site with 100 uniquely addressable valve outputs).
[0204] In this embodiment, once all prospective valve cores have been entered into the system 952, the hydraulic network pipes 102 105 110, devices 103 104 and output pipes 106 are installed 953. In a further embodiment, once the hydraulic network and attached devices are in place, the irrigation appliance 101 is commanded by smartphone 902 to pressurize the network and an automated and/or visual check of the pressurized network is performed 954. In a further embodiment, manual controls of valves 103 and terminations 104 are used to pressurize, test and flush each branch and output port 106 of the hydraulic network 102 105 110. In an embodiment of the present invention, irrigation appliance 101 pressurizes network 102 105 110 using a pressure tank 212 219 isolated from input sources and monitors holding pressure with pressure sensor 225 or alternatively reports flow rate using sensors and/or calculations and transmits such real-time pressure and flow information to smartphone 902 over Wi-Fi or cellular connections 908 911 so that an installer can monitor system pressure through the app while manually configuring and flushing valves 103 and termination(s) 104 in the field. In this embodiment, debris is flushed from hydraulic network 102 105 110 and devices 103 104 while connectivity and leaks are identified before trenches are substantially backfilled. Such testing and flushing of irrigation systems is well known in the art and various sequencings (e.g. partial network pressurization, test by segment, install popup bodies for flush and spray heads after flush, flush- as-you-go, scan after install, etc.) can be applied generally to the present teachings without diminishing the scope of the invention.
[0205] As is common in the industry, many plants are often installed after backfill and further hardscape installation (not shown in Figure 19). In this embodiment, once outlets 107 have been installed, an installer or user associates each valve output 106 in step 955 with a plant, region, photo, location, place, group and/or name by interacting with the smartphone app 902. In a further embodiment, an installer or user first scans valve 103 (using a barcode 813 or NFC tag, for example) then takes a photo with smartphone app 902 of the plant or region that is associated with that output’s emitter 107 (e.g. a tree, a shrub, a flower pot, a corner of the lawn, etc.). In a further embodiment, smartphone app 902 records the phone and/or zone’s position (via GPS and inertial sensors), orientation (via compass, computer vision, and/or 9-axis sensor information, among others), barcode 813 or NFC ID and other optional user input (e.g. drip vs. spray, estimated flow rate, pressure requirements, manufacturer model number) to build a map and model of the emitter placement to aid later recall, grouping, searching and indexing. This association between valve output 106 (e.g. the third output of a four output valve 103), if unclear, can be clarified by pressurizing the network (e.g. using smartphone app 902 to issue the command) and manually operating valves 103 as described above in step 954. In this embodiment, the correspondence of valve outputs 106 to plants (e.g. 901) and/or zone locations is established within smartphone 902, cloud service(s) 912 and/or irrigation appliance 101 to enable scheduling, tuning, control, monitoring, etc. of the irrigation system and/or sending alerts, updates and statistics to installers, users, maintainers, utilities, etc. as required.
[0206] Once a valve output 106 has been associated with a plant 901 or other endpoint as in step 955, in an embodiment of the invention the plant, local environmental, horticultural and irrigation parameters are entered into smartphone app 902. In an alternative embodiment, an installer/user can review/edit/update the stored association data by accessing cloud service(s)
912, smartphone 902 or irrigation appliance 101 databases via browser to define and adjust the watering requirements for the associated plants, regions, locations or groups. Such parameters can include plant species, drought classification, soil type, microclimate environmental parameters (such as local wind, sunlight, drainage, slope, shade, temperature, rainfall coverage, etc.), growth targets, maintenance targets, etc. or alternatively direct precipitation equivalents (e.g. inches/week) so that a reasonable watering plan can be estimated by irrigation appliance 101 and/or cloud service(s) 912 for that valve output 106 and endpoint (e.g. plant 901).
[0207] In this embodiment, once sufficient information is entered on each valve 103 output 106 in step 955 and the hydraulic network 102 105 110 has been flushed and manually tested, the installer or user instructs (via smartphone 902 app, web interface, etc.) the irrigation appliance 101 to start a network discovery and diagnostic process in step 957. In this embodiment, the irrigation appliance 101 has a list of new valve 103 addresses from device scans (step 952) and further knows which outputs 106 of valves 103 are configured with emitters 107 (as opposed to capped closed or left open) as well as potentially the type of emitter (drip, spray heads, etc.) from which it can potentially estimate expected flow rates. In this embodiment, the irrigation appliance 101 generates a series of test transmissions, communicated in a manner substantially described in Figure 17, to search for and validate the existence and performance of the scanned valves 103 and generates a list of any exceptions for an installer to review and/or mitigate. In the case of multiple networks 102 105 110 from an irrigation appliance 101, the appliance can learn which valves 103 are on which networks 102 105 110. In an additional embodiment, irrigation appliance 101 can determine network quality and parameters (such as total length) by measuring flows, pressure holding capability, termination 104 impedance, termination 104 pre-charge pressure, reflections from network discontinuities (e.g. kinks in pipe 102 105 110), network frequency response, etc. using sensors 225 207 and controls 229 222 223 216 221 213 210 to test and evaluate the complex response of the network to various addresses, pressure sequences and flows. For example, a pressure transient generated by a diaphragm valve 103 opening can be used to determine the hydraulic distance to the valve 103 by carefully monitoring the timing of the received return pressure transient at the irrigation appliance 101. In a further embodiment, a diagnostic report is generated for an installer and/or user after a discovery operation 957 which provides an inventory and status of all discovered network elements 103 104 and any potentially missing or malfunctioning devices and instructions on how to mitigate any inconsistencies or errors.
[0208] In a further embodiment of the invention, step 958 encompasses the runtime operation of the irrigation network; on-demand watering or pressurization (e.g. triggered by smartphone app 902 or web interface, for manual operation of valves or hydraulic activation of devices) as well as water balance ET calculations and weather-aware irrigation scheduling are controlled and adjusted by smartphone 902, cloud service(s) 912 and irrigation appliance 101. In a further embodiment, the irrigation appliance 101 can do runtime, periodic and/or on-demand diagnostic tests and network, valve and/or emitter monitoring (e.g. measuring flow through a particular valve output port 106 and comparing that to historical data stored in irrigation appliance 101 or cloud service(s) 912 to determine the consistency and stability of the outputs 107 as well as providing a rate to aid volumetric delivery calculations). In a further embodiment, fault detection (leak, blowout, clog, etc.) by irrigation appliance 101 can trigger alerts and
notifications to an installer, maintainer and/or user via Wi-Fi 908 and/or cellular connections 911 either on the local network 908 or through the cloud service(s) 912 to a web monitoring interface or smartphone(s) 902. In a further embodiment, fault isolation can be performed at the irrigation appliance 101 in certain situations, e.g. a sprinkler head blowout causes the irrigation appliance 101 to avoid a particular valve output 106 and/or a network rupture causes the irrigation appliance 101 to only schedule other networks 102 105 110. Similarly, in an embodiment a network pipe blowout triggers a smartphone 902 notification and the automatic isolation of a network 102 105 110 until repairs can be made by an installer or user.
[0209] In a further embodiment, if an installer or user desires to add or subtract valves 103 from the hydraulic network in path 959, the process of scanning 952 (to add or remove devices, with an alert/exception flow for address collisions), installing 953, flushing 954, associating 955, setting properties 956 and auto-discovery 957 can proceed as before using only the changes (i.e. adding one valve core only requires one scan); the irrigation appliance 101 preferentially uses prior network information to inform an incremental search and diagnostic tests in 957 similar to the initial installation but without any rescanning or re-association of unchanged devices. In an additional embodiment, the irrigation appliance 101 can discover any association changes (e.g. if valve cores are mistakenly swapped between two networks) and update the associations of valves 103 and networks 102 105 110 as well as incorporate any load changes (e.g. a 1 GPH drip emitter replaced with a 10 GPH string of drip emitters) indicated by re-association, onboarding parameter changes and/or other changes indicated from the smartphone app 902 or web interface (not shown).
[0210] Figure 20 shows an installed side view of a physical realization of a multiport valve 103 according to an embodiment of the invention comprising valve base 801, a valve core 800 (not shown, but inside valve base 801), a passthrough hydraulic network connection 809 to/from network pipe 102 105 110, a grade level cover 975 and valve output connections 106 811 (output pipes 106 not shown for clarity) installed below grade 977 in a turf area with gravel 976 installed below the valve base 801 to aid drainage.
[0211] Additional embodiments of the invention may be provided as detailed herein. For instance, Figure 21 shows a block diagram of another representative example of a pressure controlled irrigation network according to an embodiment of the invention. The example system comprises a source pipe 100 supplying water to an appliance 101 which, among other things, drives a network of distribution pipes 113 114 106 to irrigation endpoints 107 such as pop-up sprinkler heads or drip emitters. In an embodiment of the invention, pipes 113 (dotted lines) and 114 (solid lines) are the same type and construction. In a further embodiment, pipes 113 114 have an inner diameter between 0.3 inches and 4.0 inches. In a further embodiment, pipes 113 and 114 are ¾” SIDR 15 HDPE pipe that are joined using welded, glued, threaded, barbed, press-fit, twist locked and/or clamped tees, elbows and couplers to form the hydraulic pipe network 113 114. As is well known in the art, the specific choice of pipe components can depend on many outside factors like cost, availability, reliability, materials, temperature range, ecological footprint, toxicity, compatibility, tools and/or installer familiarity. The present teachings apply generally to all hydraulic networks independent of pipe and joint types; while some hydraulic components may be better suited to maximizing the utility and benefits of the present teachings, any pipe and joint construction method may be used to practice the invention. As such the invention is not particularly limited by choice of pipe or joints.
[0212] In an embodiment of the invention, pressure pipe 113 (dotted lines) segments are used as a transmission line that supports the rapid propagation of pressure waves for considerable distances. A branching network is preferentially formed by using segments of transmission lines 113 and diverter valves 112 which nominally steer the incident fluid flow to one of at least two available output ports. The state of all diverter valves 112 determines which segments of the branching transmission line network 113 are hydraulically connected to the appliance 101.
[0213] In a further embodiment of the invention, each logically selectable branch of pressure pipe network 113 that can be driven by appliance 101 is terminated at or near the end of its length with a termination 104 that matches the hydraulic impedance of the pressure pipe 113. In this embodiment, termination 104 substantially absorbs incident hydraulic pressure wave transients. In a further embodiment, transmission line termination 104 is an AC termination that presents a stable matched impedance above a designed cutoff frequency and for a designed range of pressure amplitudes. By substantially suppressing the reflection of pressure waves within pressure pipe branching network 113, a high speed hydraulic communication channel can be established between appliance 101 and valves 111 112 that achieves both signal integrity and high bandwidth relative to an unterminated hydraulic network.
[0214] In a further embodiment, short branching spurs of pressure pipe 114 (solid lines) that have a round-trip pressure propagation time well above the bandwidth of the pressure waveforms generated by devices 101 111 112 104 on the hydraulic network 113 are preferentially not required to be terminated. In a further embodiment, appliance 101, transmission line pipes 113, spur pipes 114, joints, diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 are selected and/or constructed to keep the aggregate hydraulic impedance encountered by propagating pressure waves in a bounded range (e.g. +/- 10% or +1-20% from ideal) so that the terminations 104 are effective in suppressing hydraulic reflections and ringing. In a further embodiment, spurs 114 are permitted to be a different pipe diameter than the network branches 113.
[0215] In an embodiment of the invention, the transmission line and spur pipe network 113 114 is populated with many emitter valves 111 which, with the benefit of the present teachings, can be constructed to have one or many individually selectable output ports connected to irrigation endpoints 107, blocked outputs 108 or open outputs 109.
[0216] In a further embodiment of the invention, appliance 101 transmits a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals that are received and decoded by valves 111 112. In a further embodiment, appliance 101 transmits a sequence of hydraulic pressure modulation signals that are additionally used as a local mechanical power source by valves 111 112 to implement received state changes, e.g. changing active diverter valve 112 output port and/or opening or closing one or more desired emitter valve 111 ports.
[0217] In a further embodiment, multiple emitter endpoints 107 can be combined on an emitter valve 111 output port. [0218] In a further embodiment, the appliance 101 is preferentially capable of precise flow measurements and continuous pressure modulation. Such controls and sensors are preferentially used to provide detailed flow and pressure characterization data that quantify the states, functionality and characteristics of pipe network 113 114 106, valves 111 112 and emitters 107 (including open 109 and sealed 108 ports). Such data is preferentially used by the appliance 101 to confirm diverter and emitter valve 112 111 state changes, perform detailed system diagnostics (e.g. appliance subsystem functional checks), determine the presence of significant air in the network 113 114 106, discover and/or confirm network 113 114 topology, perform leak detection and isolation in the hydraulic network 113 114 106, perform emitter 107
characterization and historical comparisons to identify broken emitters and/or clogs and track cumulative delivered water per endpoint port 106. In an embodiment of the invention, the flow for each emitter port 106 is characterized periodically and a historical model is built and validated by the appliance 101.
[0219] In practice, non-ideal conditions such as incomplete installations, trapped air, unknown network topology, kinks in pipes, invasive roots, debris, clogs, diverter state changes as well as pipe, joint and valve failures may contribute to substantial variations in transmission line 113 impedance and hence reduce termination 104 effectiveness and signal integrity. In a further embodiment, appliance 101 is able to automatically determine such network non-idealities using detailed flow and pressure characterization of the network (e.g. looking for runtime reflections, high frequency channel responses, determining low frequency capacitance variations below the cutoff of the AC terminations, addressing a particular network valve 111 112, etc.). In a further embodiment, appliance 101 is able to mitigate the effects of such non-idealities by reducing pressure modulation slew rate, varying pressure modulation amplitude and/or timing, isolating damaged pipe 113 114 106, joint, valve 111 112, termination 104 and/or emitters 107 as allowed by the branching topology, commanding air venting (e.g. through a hydraulically addressable air vent), tuning termination (e.g. through a hydraulically tunable termination 104), generating user alerts and/or requesting repairs (e.g. replacing a termination 104).
[0220] In a further embodiment, flow data for emitters 107 is used by the appliance to determine which emitter valve 111 ports may be opened simultaneously without exceeding the flow capability of input source 100, hydraulic pipe network 113 114 or valves 111 112. In this embodiment, the aggregate emitter 106 flow from any emitter valve 111 port is constrained at installation to not exceed the capacity of the input source 100, appliance 101, diverter valve 112, emitter valve 111 or any pipe network 113 114. In a further embodiment, maximum permissible emitter port 106 flow is constrained to be between 1 to 10 GPM. In a further embodiment, the pipe 113 114 106 sizes, valve 111 112 and emitter 107 sizes are chosen to have compatible flow capacities that minimize materials cost and variety.
[0221] In a nominal valve control operation of the invention, the appliance 101 modulates hydraulic pressure at two or more levels to transmit an encoded selection address and command that is received by all valves 111 112 that are hydraulically connected within the active branches of the pipe network 113 114. The hydraulic branching network 113 114 preferentially has only one active and terminated transmission line path at any time except during diverter valve 112 state changes. The appliance 101 preferentially has knowledge of the network topology so that it can change diverter valve 112 states as needed to reach branches 113 114 containing the emitter valves 111 that the appliance 101 desires to command. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the appliance 101 can, when initialized with a list of diverter 112 and emitter 111 valve addresses, automatically determine the branching network topology 113 114 by using a search algorithm and available sensor data (e.g. flow vs. pressure, low bandwidth capacitance changes, pass/fail valve addressing tests, etc.). In an embodiment of the invention, subsequent irrigation flows to one or more selected emitter valve 111 ports 106 can be established by first signaling and configuring diverter valves 112 to hydraulically connect the desired emitter valve 111 to the appliance 101 and then signaling and commanding the desired emitter valve 111 to modulate fluid flow to emitters 107.
[0222] Figure 22 shows a block diagram of a representative appliance 101 150. The
representative appliance may share one or more characteristics with an irrigation appliance as described in Figures 2 and 3. In some instances, the appliance may have one or more
characteristics that are different. Any combination of characteristics may be used.
[0223] The appliance 101 150 may have an electronics subsystem preferentially comprising a CPU 200, a wireless communications interface 201, a power system 202 and interface electronics 203. As is well known in the art, the specific arrangement of electronics in a microprocessor-controlled device such as an appliance 101 can take many forms (e.g. a wireless interface can be embedded on the CPU chip; power electronics can be integrated with interface electronics, etc.). The functional partitions shown in Figure 22 are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the wireless interface 201 can take many forms such as a combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cellular radio standards, among others. In an alternate embodiment, appliance 101 is connected by a wired interface (not shown) to a computer network. Those skilled in the art will recognize the myriad of choices available for communications modules, protocols and interfaces; such choices are considered within the scope of the present invention. [0224] Figure 22 further shows a fluid source 154 204 entering an input filter 205 and then a flow meter 207. A branch of the filtered source fluid can pass through a check valve 229 and then through a variable flow direct valve 230 into an output manifold 236 which, under nominal network operation, passes the fluid through an open isolation valve 243, through output filter 226 to an output port 227 which is connected preferentially to a hydraulic pipe network 113 114. In one operation mode of appliance 101 150, herein called the direct mode, the input fluid is conveyed through filter 205, flow meter 207, check valve 229, direct valve 230, output manifold 236, isolation valve 243 and output filter 224 to reach the network 113 114. A pressure sensor 237 preferentially monitors the output manifold 236 hydraulic pressure and adjusts the aperture of direct valve 230 in a feedback loop to achieve a desired output pressure at output manifold 236. Preferentially isolation valve 243 is opened during normal network operation, presenting little pressure loss between output manifold 236 and output filter 226. CPU 200 and interface electronics 203 along with pressure sensor 237 and variable direct valve 230 form a closed loop control system which can regulate the output pressure at the output manifold 236 and, without much loss of accuracy, at appliance hydraulic network port 227. In a preferred embodiment, the direct mode of the appliance is used to support steady flows through the hydraulic network after selected emitter valves 111 are commanded open and a desired set of emitters 107 are actively delivering fluid for a desired flow interval. In a further preference, direct valve 230 is chosen to have a large enough aperture so that the output manifold 236 pressure can be regulated by CPU 200 with a small pressure difference across direct valve 230 while driving the largest required emitter 106 load to maximize the utility of the fluid source 204 pressure to generate a sufficiently high output network pressure at 227 to drive such emitters 107. In a further embodiment, direct valve 230 is a motorized ¾” ceramic cartridge valve that is controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203.
[0225] Input fluid source 204 can also travel through filter 205 and flow meter 207 to a solenoid valve 238 that is activated by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 to provide a source fluid at the input port of boost pump 239 which is similarly controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203. The boost pump 239 output passes through a check valve 240 to reach a pressure tank 233. Pressure tank 233 preferentially stores fluid from boost pump 239 for use by both tank valve 234 and up valve 235 in driving the output manifold 236. Tank valve 234 is preferentially a variable flow valve commanded by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 that can be adjusted in a feedback loop comprising CPU 200, interface electronics 203, tank valve 324 and pressure sensor 237 to regulate the pressure within output manifold 236 and by nature of the low hydraulic resistance between output manifold 236 and output port 227, the pressure at output port 227. In a further embodiment, tank valve 234 is a motorized ½” ceramic cartridge valve that is controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203.
[0226] In a second mode of appliance 101 150 herein called tank mode, fluid passes from input source 204 through filter 205, flow meter 207, solenoid valve 238, boost bump 239, check valve
240 to pressure tank 233 where tank valve 234 is used to regulate the pressure in output manifold 236 and provide flow to output port 227 through isolation valve 243 and output filter 226. In an embodiment of the invention, tank mode is used to support a baseline flow during pressure signaling, as described below.
[0227] In Figure 22, up valve 235 also controls flow from pressure tank 233 to output manifold 236. Up valve 235 is controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 and can be continuously varied to support pressure regulation in output manifold 236. In an embodiment of the invention, up valve 235 can transition rapidly (e.g. from off to on in under 1 second), providing enough transition speed to support rapid hydraulic pressure signaling. In a further embodiment, up valve 235 is sized to support sufficient flow to generate the desired pressure amplitude changes required for the signaling protocol of the present invention. In a further embodiment, the up valve 235 is constructed to resist the effects of wear and can support a significant number of mechanical cycles without significant reliability issues.
[0228] Down valve 241 is preferentially of similar construction as up valve 235; it is similarly controlled by CPU 200 through interface 203 and can similarly support rapid transitions with good wear resistance and reliability. Down valve 241, when open, allows flow from output manifold 236 to an open tank 244, a drain valve 213 and a check valve 242. Nominally the pressure seen at the open tank is very low (it is open to the air) and well below the minimum signaling pressure desired at output port 227. The combination of up valve 235 and down valve
241 are preferentially controlled by CPU 200 through interface electronics 203 to form a push/pull pair for driving the output manifold 236 pressure rapidly up and down by varying amounts. By controlling the open/close state of direct valve 230, tank valve 234, up valve 235 and down valve 241 while monitoring the output manifold 236 pressure, the CPU 200 can generate complex high rate signaling waveforms for the communication protocol of the present invention while also supporting efficient run-time flows for sustaining prolonged fluid delivery intervals.
[0229] When down valve 241 is opened to reduce pressure in output manifold 236, fluid will accumulate in open tank 244. Such accumulation is preferentially recycled into the output manifold through the operation of boost pump 239 with solenoid valve 238 closed. In this circumstance, boost pump 239 can pull fluid from open tank 244 through check valve 242 and use said fluid to further pressurize pressure tank 233 wherein the recycled fluid is available for pulling the pressure up in output manifold 236 by the operation of tank valve 234 or up valve 235. In a case where no emitters ports 106 or endpoints 107 on the hydraulic network 113 114 are open or allowed to flow, the finite positive capacitance (defined as the change in volume over the change in pressure) of the hydraulic network 113 114 will generate backflow into the appliance 101 150 on downward pressure transitions. By preferentially performing such recycling of backflow fluid, multi -transition signaling protocols such as those proposed below can be implemented without dumping fluid to a drain or extra output.
[0230] Drain valve 213 is attached to down valve 241, check valve 242 and open tank 244 and is preferentially used to drain the appliance in the case of maintenance (e.g. cleaning filters), winterization and/or repairs. By opening drain valve 213 and down valve 241 in concert with up valve 235 and tank valve 234, the output manifold 236 and pressure tank 233 can be
depressurized and emptied if preferentially arranged to support gravity draining. Furthermore, if isolation valve 243 is opened, a connected hydraulic network 113 114 can also be depressurized and drained for winterization and/or maintenance. In a preferred embodiment, drain valve 213 is used for intermittent maintenance related activities of the appliance 101 150.
[0231] In a further embodiment, in order to purge fluid from the system a pressurized air source 231 may be attached to the appliance 101 150 through a check valve 232 driving into the pressure tank 233. In a preferred embodiment, air pressure is modulated using tank valve 234, up valve 235 and/or down valve 241 controlled by CPU 200 to deliver modulated air pressure to the hydraulic network 113 114 for the purposes of clearing fluid from the hydraulic network 113 114 106, valves 111 112, emitters 107 and terminations 104. In a further embodiment, pressurized air 231 is used to clear fluid from the internal components of the appliance 101 150 to prepare the system for freezing temperatures.
[0232] Those skilled in the art will recognize a multitude of practiced ways of generating pressure modulation at a hydraulic output 227 155. A variable speed pump can be used instead of variable valves. Centrifugal/impeller pumps and various positive displacement pumps are well known choices for such architectures, in single and multi-stage topologies. A boost pump path could be deemed unnecessary by one skilled in the art if the input source pressure is sufficiently high to support the desired signaling and the recycling of backflow is unnecessary by either design (e.g. always a positive flow from appliance with e.g. a fixed pulldown load on the network) or desire (dumping waste fluid is not a design prohibition or the fluid can be re-used for other purposes, e.g. a separate gravity fed drip irrigation system). A fully mechanical pressure regulation and/or pressure relief mechanism can be devised that does not require a CPU or interface electronics to make a continuous feedback pressure control loop - such a mechanism could implement mechanical pressure regulation that is then modulated by digital on/off valves (e.g. solenoid valves) to rapidly transition between pressure levels to generate complex signaling waveforms. An arrangement of tanks at various mechanically regulated pressures could be switched using variable or binary valves such as solenoids, proportional solenoids, ball valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, servo valves, etc. to generate a variable output pressure as required by the present invention. Such engineering choices of the architecture of the pressure and flow modulation means are influenced by many factors such as cost, availability, power consumption, materials compatibility, familiarity, noise generation, efficiency, reliability, tooling costs, intellectual property considerations, environmental impact, size, weight, regulatory compliance, building code uniformity, import/export restrictions, health concerns, marketability, consumer price thresholds, profitability, development schedules and feature sets among others. As such, given the breath of means available to generate a pressure modulation and flow by an appliance 101 150, the appliance 101 150 block diagram of Figure 22 is meant to illustrate just one of a multitude of practical and implementable pressure modulation means well known to those skilled in electromechanical fluid control and is not intended to restrict the scope of the present teachings. The primary purpose of appliance 101 150 is to convey fluid flow from a source 100 152 204 to an output port 155 227 and to further modulate the pressure at least one output port 155 227 to implement the communication protocol and fluid delivery of the present teachings; as is well known in the art such purposes can be met with a multitude of architectures and component choices that are available to implementers and such choices are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0233] In a further embodiment of appliance 101 shown in Figure 22, one or more fertilizer tanks 254 supplying concentrated nutrients of one or more varieties can be selectively pumped via one or more fertilizer metering pumps 253 into open tank 244 which preferentially dilutes and mixes the nutrients with source or backflow fluid. The mixture in open tank 244 can then be re-pressurized by boost pump 239 to supply pressure tank 233 and ultimately deliver nutrients to output 227 155 through tank valve 234 and/or up valve 235. In this embodiment, appliance 101 has sufficient information to deliver a desired dose of diluted nutrients to a desired emitter valve 111 output and emitter 107. As is well known in the art, such fertigation techniques can be implemented using a number of nutrient storage, pumping and mixing methods; the detailed description in Figure 22 of a representative fertigation system is one of many possible fertilizer injection methods. Such alternative methods are similarly applicable to the present invention and considered within the scope of the present invention. [0234] Figure 23 shows a representative physical realization of a two-output diverter valve 112. The diverter valve may share one or more characteristics with a valve 103 as previously described. The diverter valve may have one or more different characteristics. The diverter valve may comprise a housing 270, a hydraulic input port 271, two hydraulic output ports 272 273 and a manual control knob 274. In an embodiment of the invention, input and output hydraulic ports
271 272 273 are sized to fit similarly sized pipes 113 114. In a further embodiment, input and output hydraulic ports 271, 272 and 273 are sized to fit ¾” SIDR 15 HDPE pipes. In a further embodiment, input and output hydraulic ports 271 272 273 are press-fit connections. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid routing within diverter valve 112 and as shown in Figure 23 presents a negligible flow resistance and thus negligible perturbations to the transmission line impedance when connected to hydraulic network 113 114.
[0235] The two-output diverter valve 112 shown in Figure 23 preferentially can switch the input pressure and flow arriving at input port 271 to one of the two available output ports 272 273. Such switching is preferentially signaled to the diverter valves 112 using a pressure modulated hydraulic signaling protocol of the present teachings that can selectively command one or more diverter valves 112 to change its active output port. The purpose of the diverter valve 112 of Figure 23 is to support the construction of a hydraulic branching network 1 13 114 that can act as a transmission line to convey both fluid flow, information signaling and motive power through a hydraulic network 113 1 14 106. In another embodiment, a diverter valve 112 can be constructed with more than two outputs; in a preferred embodiment the input port 271 is nominally connected hydraulically to one of the available outputs to maintain a well-controlled
transmission line impedance.
[0236] In the situation where a diverter valve 112 is commanded to switch between output ports
272 273 for the purposes of accessing a new branch of hydraulic network 113 114, the transition between output ports may present a mixture of the downstream network impedances and/or a complete or partial blockage to the upstream network which would constitute an impedance discontinuity. In a preferred embodiment, the appliance 101 150 can reduce its signaling slew rate and data rate to reduce reflections and signal integrity issues until such impedance discontinuities are resolved when the diverter valve 112 reaches its final state wherein only one output 272 273 is connected hydraulically to input port 271.
[0237] Figure 24 shows a representative block diagram of a diverter valve 112 comprising an input port 271 300 which is connected to a hydraulic actuator 301. In Figure 24, hydraulic connections are represented by solid lines and mechanical connections are represented by dotted lines. Hydraulic actuator 301 creates a mechanical motion 302 in response to pressure changes at hydraulic input port 300. In a preferred embodiment, this mechanical motion at 302 is approximately linearly related to the input pressure at 300.
[0238] Irrigation systems may need to be installed on hillsides; gravity has a strong effect on water pressure adding or subtracting 0.433 PSI per foot of elevation change. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the appliance 101, diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 have the capability to compensate or adapt to changes in baseline static or DC pressure so that they can be preferentially installed at a multitude of elevations without losing functionality, requiring adjustment or requiring external equipment to compensate for elevation induced pressure changes. Furthermore, hydraulic flows can experience pressure drops over long distances due to hydraulic friction in pipes and components that affect the pressures seen by distant diverter and emitter valves 112 111. In a further preferred embodiment, the diverter and emitter valves 111 112 are equipped with mechanisms to adapt to pressure offsets that arise from hydraulic pressure losses.
[0239] In Figure 24, hydraulic actuator 301 generates a mechanical motion 302 over a large range of input pressures. In a preferred embodiment, such input pressures may range from 10PSI to 90PSI. In an alternative embodiment, such pressures might range from 15PSI to 65PSI. In contrast, the signaling protocol of the present invention preferentially requires only a fraction of the available pressure range, e.g. 35PSI, leaving the remainder available for elevation and hydraulic flow pressure offsets.
[0240] In order to make diverter 112 and emitter 111 valves insensitive to input pressure offsets, the mechanical motion 302 which is roughly proportional to the input pressure at 300 is passed through a DC removal mechanism 303 that adapts away DC pressure offsets present in the input waveform and outputs an AC mechanical signal 304.
[0241] In a preferred embodiment, the AC mechanical signal 304 is further passed to addressing pawls 305 that can selectively turn one or more address ratchet gears 331 in response to a prescribed sequence of AC motions on address pawls 305. Address ratchet gears 331 are turned preferentially so that, in the case of a unicast message reception, a selected address ratchet gear will achieve a unique position 332 relative to all other non-selected address ratchet gears reacting to the pressure modulation in the system. In this embodiment, the position 332 is evaluated and stored by mechanism 333 using AC mechanical motion 304, effectively storing a hydraulically transmitted state command mechanically. In a preferred embodiment, the desired state of the valve is stored in the form of a mechanical bit that has a spring to provide a mechanical restoring force which creates a mechanical bi-stability. The state of this mechanical bit 334 is coupled to valve pawls 335 which direct the raw DC mechanical motion 302 to turn a valve ratchet gear 337 in a selected direction which is coupled to the valve stem 341 of a rotary multiport ball valve 342.
[0242] In a preferred embodiment, the direct DC mechanical motion 302 of hydraulic actuator 301 is harnessed to turn the stem of multiport ball valve 342 as opposed to using the AC mechanical motion 304 to minimize the load and thus simplify the design of the DC-removal mechanism 303 as it only needs to pass relatively low mechanical forces to addressing pawls 305 and evaluation and bit storage 333. In this embodiment, the relatively high mechanical load of turning the multiport ball valve 342 is performed using the mechanical motion 302 of the hydraulic actuator 301 to minimize load, stress and wear on DC removal mechanism 303.
[0243] In an alternative embodiment, bidirectional ratchet gear 337 is mechanically driven by an AC mechanical signal 304 that is generated by a DC removal mechanism 303.
[0244] In another alternative embodiment, the DC removal operation 303 is removed and addressing pawls 305 and evaluation mechanism 333 are directly driven by hydraulic actuator 301 output 302. In this alternative embodiment, the address ratchet gears respond to absolute pressure thresholds which can be sufficient for installations with small elevation changes and low flow rates. Those skilled in the art will recognize a tradeoff between cost and features can be done that trades elevation change tolerance for valve cost and protocol pressure swings, i.e. the pressure range of the protocol can be increased so that there is some native elevation tolerance without a DC removal mechanism 303. Such alternatives are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0245] In a further embodiment shown in Figure 24, a mechanical knob 274 338 is implemented that, through user manipulation, both disengages valve pawls 335 using a release link 339 and drives the ball valve stem 341 to a desired position (state). Multiport ball valve 342 is constructed to pass bi-directional fluid flows from input port 300 to one of at least two output ports 343 344. In a preferred embodiment, multiport ball valve 342 has two output ports 343 344 and can switch between said outputs with approximately a quarter turn of its valve stem 341. In a further embodiment, mechanical detents indicate to the user when the mechanical knob position has achieved a full open state for one of the outputs 343 344. In a further embodiment, an additional midway knob detent that effectively splits input flow evenly between outputs 343 344, with some additional pressure loss at high flow rates, can be utilized in a number of non- operational scenarios, such as diagnostics, maintenance, testing, installation flushing and pressure hold checks, leak detection and/or winterization procedures.
[0246] Figure 25 shows a physical realization of a diverter valve with a hydraulic actuator 423 301, frame 422, rocker arm 427 and spring load 430 according to an embodiment of the invention. Input fluid port 271415 feeds an input manifold 417 which preferentially distributes fluid to a two-output ball valve 418 with control stem 419 and outputs 272 420 273 421 as well as a hydraulic actuator 301 423. In a further optional embodiment of the invention, a bypass port 416 is provided from the input manifold to allow additional connections to the input source 415, integrating the functionality of an external network tee. In this embodiment a frame 422 is mechanically attached to the input manifold 417, ball valve 418 and hydraulic actuator 423 and provides a pivot point 428 preferentially as an axle about which rocker arm 427 is preferentially allowed to rotate. An end bracket 425 is attached to the anchor plug 424 355 of the hydraulic actuator 423 and the rocker arm 427 and allowed to pivot around additional axle 426. In a preferred operational mode, hydraulic pressure applied at port 415 and/or port 416 is fed through input manifold 417 to hydraulic actuator 423, causing it to expand radially and contract axially, pulling end bracket 425 closer to input manifold 417. Rocker arm 427 preferentially pivots about axle 428 affixed to frame 422 and produces a force on spring 430 through pivot point 429. Spring 430 is preferentially anchored to frame 422 and/or input manifold 417 at point 431 (anchor not shown for clarity). In a preferred embodiment, spring 430 provides a progressively increasing counter force to hydraulic actuator 423 as the hydraulic actuator 423 contracts, creating a mechanical motion 302 related to the hydraulic pressure at input port 300 415. Spring
430 can take many forms; extension, compression, torsion, leaf, pneumatic and elastomer springs are well known in the art and may be substituted individually or in combination to perform the requisite translation of hydraulic pressure change to mechanical motion of the present invention.
[0247] In a further embodiment (not shown for clarity) multiple springs 430 and anchor points
431 are utilized to affect a progressive mechanical load against which hydraulic actuator 423 acts. In a further embodiment of the invention, hydraulic actuator 423, frame 422, end bracket 425, pivot points 426 428 429, rocker arm 427, spring(s) 430 and anchor point(s) 431 are constructed so that the mechanical motion of the rocker arm (angular motion or linear motion) is approximately linearly proportional to input pressure at port 300 415.
[0248] As is well known in the art, any number of mechanical hydraulic actuators and countering loads can approximately translate pressure changes linearly into mechanical motions; any number of these designs can be substituted for the mechanism described in detail herein to meet the objective of the invention to translate hydraulic pressure changes to approximately proportional mechanical motion (rotary or linear). The present invention is not dependent on the underlying choice of hydromechanical actuation.
[0249] Figures 26, 27 and 28 show alternative views of a physical realization of a diverter valve including a DC removal mechanism 303 according to an embodiment of the invention. A slider arm 440 is attached to rocker arm 427 and mechanically pivots around axle 428 in concert with said rocker arm 427. In an embodiment of the invention, the slider arm 440 has inner and outer radii centered on the rocker arm 427 pivot point 428. An AC arm 441 preferentially shares the rocker arm pivot axle 428 and can rotate independently of the rocker arm 427 and slider arm 440. Two clutch clamps 442 and 444 are preferentially positioned around the slider arm 440 and attached at pivot points 443 and 445 respectively to the AC arm 441.
[0250] Referring to the view of Figure 27, in an embodiment of the present invention a small torsion spring 446 is attached to AC arm 441 and pushes against both clutch clamps 442 and 444 to create a clamping force between clutch clamps 442 444 and the arced section of slider arm 440. Referring to Figure 28, slider arm 440’s dual radii portion 447 is preferentially moving with rocker arm 427 upon a change in input pressure at port 271 300 357 415 as shown by an arcing double arrow. In an embodiment of the present invention, arced section 447 moves clockwise in Figure 28 at high input pressure and counter-clockwise at low pressure about pivot point 428 as hydraulic actuator 423 and spring(s) 430 react to changes in input pressure. Clutch clamps 442 444, when clamping, cause AC arm 441 to follow the motion of slider arm 440 447. One or more clutch limits 448 (only one shown for simplicity) causes the AC arm 441 to stop tracking the motion of the slider arm 440 447 when one of the clutch clamps 442 444 contact said clutch limit(s) 448. In a preferred embodiment, the mechanical motion range of the AC arm 441 is restricted by clutch limiter 448 to be less than the mechanical range of the slider 440 447 and rocker 427 arms.
[0251] In a preferred operational mode of the mechanism of Figures 25, 26, 27 and 28, the hydraulic actuator 423 and spring 430 create a wide range rotational movement of rocker arm 427 that is roughly proportional to input pressure at port 415 and is then selectively followed by AC arm 441 by bidirectional clutch clamps 442 444 so as to create consistently bounded AC mechanical motions in AC arm 441 that are approximately independent of any DC offset pressure at input port 415. In a further embodiment of the invention, AC arm 441 selectively follows slider arm 440 447 with a relatively strong mechanical connection at clutches 442 444 until one of the two clutch clamps 442 444 hits a fixed mechanical limit 448 at which point the mechanical connection between slider arm 440 447 and AC arm 441 is substantially reduced, allowing slider arm 440 447 and by extension rocker arm 427 to move relatively unencumbered by any mechanical load presented by AC arm 441. In an embodiment of the invention, the clutch clamps 442 444 are designed to grip arcing slider 448 strongly when not in contact with mechanical limit(s) 448 and to slip easily when in contact with mechanical limit(s) 448 due to the angles formed by the arc 447 contact points with clutch clamps 442 444, the pivot points 443 445 and the central pivot point 428. In doing so, the mechanism shown in Figures 25, 26, 27 and 28 describes an effective method for translating AC pressure changes in a hydraulic network 113 114 into AC mechanical motions which can be used in diverter 112 or emitter valve 111 mechanisms of the present teachings for receiving AC commands.
[0252] Those skilled in the art will recognize many alternative implementations of a
bidirectional clutch mechanism that can similarly extract or limit AC motion from a wide- ranging input motion. Any linear or rotary implementation that creates a limited range motion from a larger range motion can replace the example mechanism of Figures 26, 27 and 28 to accomplish the desired operation of the present invention.
[0253] Furthermore, alternatives well known in the art can similarly act to create an AC motion derived from push/pull pressure modulations on top of a DC pressure baseline. For example, a differential pressure sensor which is driven hydraulically on one side by a fast responding input path and on the other side by a slow responding input (e.g. slowed by flow restriction in combination with some capacity or tank) can create AC mechanical motion from relatively fast pressure modulations on top of a baseline pressure. Such alternatives can replace all or part of the example mechanism described in detail herein to create the desired AC motion 304 from an AC hydraulic pressure modulation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize the wide range of solutions to such hydromechanical requirements and the present teachings are not restricted to a particular choice of hydromechanical implementation to achieve an AC motion response to hydraulic pressure modulation.
[0254] Figure 29 shows an embodiment of a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to the present invention comprising two ratchet gears 620 621 that are fixed (bonded) to each other and rotate around a central fixed axle 622. In a preferred embodiment, ratchet gears 620 621 are advanced by the action of two moving pawls 623 624 and backward rotation (in Figure 29, backwards being a counter clockwise motion) is prevented by catch pawl 629. Catch pawl 629 is affixed to frame 631 at a fixed pivot point 630 and with a preferentially small spring (not shown) applying an engagement force to ensure it is engaged with the ratchet teeth of the upper gear 620 in Figure 29. Pawl 623 can preferentially advance the ratchet gear stack 620 621 clockwise in Figure 29 by the motion of pawl arm 627 which is connected by pivot point 625 to pawl 623. Similarly pawl 624 can advance ratchet gear stack 620 621 through the motion of pawl arm 627 connected to pawl 624 through pivot point 626. Preferentially pawl arm 627 moves substantially toward or away from ratchet gear stack 620 621 to create a clockwise motion of the ratchet gear stack 620 621. A torsion spring 628 is preferentially attached between lever arms of pawls 623 and 624 to provide a repelling force which, through rotation about pivot point 625 causes pawl 623 to engage with ratchet gear 620.
[0255] Referring to the bottom half of Figure 29, in an embodiment of the invention the upper gear 620 in the ratchet gear stack 620 621 preferentially has a missing gear tooth. Pawl 623 is preferentially constructed to have an extension that contacts fixed guide 632 at high AC pressure which has the effect of disengaging the pawl 623 from the upper ratchet gear 620. Pawl 623, guide 632 and the motion of pawl arm 627 is preferentially constructed to only advance ratchet gears 620 621 when pawl arm 627 is moved maximally away from ratchet gear stack 620 621 which is preferentially achieved at low AC pressure input in this embodiment. In an operation of an embodiment of the invention, repeated cycling of input pressure at port 415 from a high pressure or a mid-high pressure to a low pressure causes pawl arm 627 to advance ratchet gear 620 by one tooth, captured by constantly engaged catch pawl 629, until the preferentially missing tooth of ratchet gear 620 is aligned with pawl 623. In an embodiment of the present invention, a sequence of high-low AC pressure cycles is used to intentionally reset the position of the ratchet gear stack 620 621 to a known starting position (with the missing tooth rotated to a known position) independent of the initial rotation state of the address gear stack 620 621. In a further embodiment, many addressable devices such as diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 have similar ratchet gears 620 which are similarly missing a tooth. By transmitting a sequence of high-low pressure cycles, an appliance 101 can reset many addressable devices 111 112 to a known address gear stack rotation state.
[0256] One skilled in the art of mechanical design can envision alternative implementations to a rotary ratchet gear to implement a limit-seeking clocking mechanism that can be reset from an unknown state to a known state by a series of pressure cycles. Various rotary and linear gear escapements, pawl engagements, pins, levers, guides, etc. can be configured to achieve substantially the same function of achieving a known state after some number of pressure cycles. The present teachings preferentially require that a movable ratchet element (in this embodiment ratchet gear 620 with a missing tooth) and at least one of its drivers (in this embodiment, pawl 623) is constructed to achieve a known position after some amount of pressure cycling and that many receivers (e.g. diverter valves 112 and/or emitter valves 111) can be synchronized to a similar position state by pressure cycles on the hydraulic network 113 114.
[0257] In a further embodiment, pawl 624 is similarly guided by two fixed elements 633 and 634. Upon the movement to a low pressure position (downward in Figure 29), pawl 624 preferentially contacts guide element 633 which forces pawl 624 away from ratchet gear 621. Spring 628 is preferentially repositioned as a result into so that the pawl 624 is now repelled from contacting ratchet gear 621 and therefore has no ability to move the combined ratchet gear stack 620 621 clockwise. In an embodiment of the invention, pawl 624 and spring 628 form a bistable element with two stable states, one where pawl 624 is pushed to engage with ratchet gear 621 and another where pawl 624 is pushed to disengage from ratchet gear 624. In the disengaged state, spring 628 keeps pawl 624 disengaged for any mid to low AC pressure levels. When input AC pressure is increased to a high level, however, pawl 624 contacts fixed guide element 634 and then is flipped into the engagement state with ratchet gear 621. Guide element 634 is preferentially configured so that such re-engagement happens after the point at which the pawl 624 can grab a new tooth of ratchet gear 621. In the engaged state if pawl 624 is returned to a mid level pressure position, it preferentially is able to grab a tooth of ratchet gear 621 (if one is available) which, if available, would turn gear stack 620 621 clockwise by one tooth upon application of a high pressure level motion to pawl arm 627. Note that if the pawl 623 receives a high4ow-high pressure sequence, it is preferentially arranged to flip into the disengage state on the high-to-low transition then flip into the engaged state on the low-to-high transition without advancing the ratchet gear stack 620 621 clockwise.
[0258] Figure 30 shows a representative pressure sequence waveform 640 for advancing a ratchet gear addressing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, an AC sequence of high-low-high pressures 642 transmitted by appliance 101 and conveyed by hydraulic network 113 114 causes pawl 623 within a network device (e.g. a diverter or emitter valve 112 111) to engage with a tooth if available on ratchet gear 620 and turn the gear stack one tooth clockwise. Similarly, in a further embodiment, an AC pressure sequence of high- mid-high 641 from the appliance 101 engages pawl 624 (potentially from an unengaged state) and turns gear 621 (and hence gear stack 620 621) clockwise if there is an available tooth on ratchet gear 621 to receive pawl 624’ s motion. In this fashion, the combination of address ratchet gears 620 621 and pawls 623 624 can distinguish between high-low-high sequences and high-mid-high sequences; only if there is an available tooth on the corresponding address ratchet gear 620 621 will the gear stack rotate one tooth clockwise.
[0259] In an embodiment of the present invention, hydraulic actuator 301 and/or DC-removal 303 are constructed to exhibit a hysteretic mechanical response to preferentially suppress the effects of signaling noise on the input pressure waveform 300.
[0260] In an embodiment of the present invention, ratchet gear 621 has multiple teeth missing.
In a further embodiment, the ratchet gears 621 within all diverter and emitter valves 111 112 in a given hydraulic network have a unique pattern of missing gear teeth. In a further embodiment of the present invention, each distinct operation of all addressable elements (e.g. for a simple valve control, an open operation and a separate close operation) has a ratchet gear stack 620 621 with a unique pattern of missing teeth on ratchet gear 621.
[0261] In an embodiment of the present invention, a selected segment of the pattern of missing teeth on ratchet gear 621 constitute a binary address containing some number of bits, N, that allow the assignment of unique addresses from the 2LN address space for operations of various addressable elements in hydraulic network 113 114. In a further embodiment, the address space is restricted to preferentially have similar numbers of ones and zeros. In a further embodiment, the address space is further restricted to preferentially have equal numbers of ones and zeros.
[0262] In an embodiment of a unicast selection operation of the present invention, the appliance 101 transmits a series of pressure pulses corresponding to a desired operation (e.g. open port 3) of a particular addressable device on hydraulic network 113 114. Pressure pulses encoding the binary address of the corresponding ratchet gear 621 for that device and operation propagate through hydraulic network 113 114 and are received by all connected devices (e.g. divert and emitter valves 111 112). The targeted addressable device, through action of pawls 623 and 624, responds to the sequence of pressure pulses mechanically and achieves a rotation state of one of its ratchet gear stacks 620 621 that is consistent with the operation to be performed (e.g. the “open port 3” stack is rotated to an advanced position as it matches the transmitted address, whereas the“close all ports” stack does not match the transmitted address and is in a different, less advanced position).
[0263] In an embodiment of the present invention, the communication of operations is performed by first sending a series of reset pressure cycles which rotate all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 of hydraulically connected addressable devices on the network to a known state (e.g. high -low pressure cycles reset all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 by virtue of the missing tooth in substantially all ratchet gears 620). In a further embodiment, substantially all ratchet gears 621 across the network of devices has a start tooth that can advance the ratchet gear stack 620 621 from this reset state. In this embodiment, the appliance subsequently transmits a high-mid-high sequence to advance substantially all ratchet gear stacks 620 621 that are hydraulically connected one tooth clockwise through the action of pawl 624 on ratchet gear 621 to start the address decoding operation. In a further step of this embodiment, the pattern of l’s and 0’s of the targeted device operation’s binary address, comprising N bits of pressure sequence
corresponding to N teeth locations on ratchet gears 620 621, is transmitted by the appliance 101 as a sequence of pressure modulations 640. In this embodiment, for high-low-high transitions in the addressing section of the transmitted pressure waveforms substantially all ratchet gears stacks 620 621 will advance one tooth clockwise by virtue of the fully populated section of teeth on ratchet gears 620 (which are preferably substantially consistent across all receiving devices). Transmitted pressure sequences of high-mid-high, however, will advance ratchet gear stacks 620 621 only if they have a tooth populated on gear 621 at the proper location to receive the motion of pawl 624. In this embodiment, the selective advancement of ratchet gear stacks 620 621 when the sequence of pressure pulses matches the sequence of teeth on ratchet gear 621 allows the appliance 101 to selectively advance a single or a subgroup of ratchet gear stacks 620 621 to an advanced clockwise position, while substantially all other ratchet gear stacks in untargeted addressable devices are in a relatively retarded clockwise position.
[0264] In a further embodiment, the amount of retardation of a particular ratchet gear 621 is proportional to the number of times a high-med-high sequence 641 was received but there was not a corresponding tooth available at that point on said ratchet gear 621. In this embodiment, the population of ratchet gear stacks embedded within substantially all reachable addressable network devices (e.g. diverter and emitter valves 112 111) are in a clockwise race during the address transmission portion of the appliance’s 101 pressure sequence. In this embodiment, only those ratchet gear stacks 620 621 that have teeth available on their ratchet gears 621
corresponding to the order of the received pressure sequences mix of high-low-high 642 and high-mid-high 641 win the race.
[0265] In a further embodiment of the invention, a subset of the reachable hydraulic selectable device operations (e.g. diverter and emitter valve 112 111 operations) can be selected by a pressure sequence from the appliance 101 by substituting one or more high-low-high sequences 642 for the high-med-high 641 segments of the transmitted waveform. In this embodiment, high-low-high 642 advances substantially all ratchet gear stacks 620 621, resulting in potentially multiple winners of the mechanical address-matching race. In a further embodiment, similar device operations, e.g.“close emitter ports” are assigned unique binary addresses that have a common prefix, suffix or shared bits which allow the appliance to preferentially send multicast or broadcast commands to multiple receivers simultaneously to effect a desired change (e.g. a multicast command of“close all emitters” that matches all emitter ratchet gear stacks 620 621 while not matching any diverter ratchet gear stacks nor any“open emitter port” stacks). In this embodiment, the 2LN address space (or restricted 2LN address space, as mentioned above) is partitioned into subsets that correspond to useful multicast or broadcast command groups. In this embodiment, an appliance 101 can send a series of pressure sequences to activate various watering flows at a subset of emitter valve outputs 106 using unicast (i.e. single ratchet gear 620 621 race winner) commands with pauses in between unicast addressing sequences to effect different watering times, then send a multicast or broadcast“close all” command (multiple ratchet gear 620 621 race winners) to stop the multiple opened flows.
[0266] In a further embodiment, emitter valves 111 with multiple output ports may share a ratchet gear stack 620 621 for a common“close all ports at this emitter valve” command. Each port in this embodiment has a unique“open port” ratchet gear stack 620 621 to provide uniquely selectable fluid delivery to a port (unicast“open” and shared“close”). In a more general embodiment of the present teachings, a multistate hydraulic receiving device can have any mixture of unique and shared operations affecting multiple internal states, each operation having a corresponding ratchet gear stack 620 621. In a further general embodiment of the present teachings, ratchet gear stacks 620 621 can encode addresses that are partitioned to group useful functions to enable multicast and broadcast messages to a network with many receivers with many operations, each operation corresponding to a ratchet gear stack 620 621. For example, all output manifold emitter valves 111 can share a“close” command prefix so that a single pressure sequence transmission can be received and interpreted to close many outputs across many individually addressable emitter valves 111.
[0267] Those skilled in the art, with the benefit of the present teachings, will recognize the breadth of implementation choices available that can embody the invention of selectively advanced address ratchet gears. For example the choice of a unidirectional rotating clocked element (ratchet gear stack 620 621) can be alternatively implemented with a bi-directional ratchet configuration or any number of linear ratchet devices. The choice of pawl direction and the meaning of high and low pressure can be trivially inverted or permuted. An alternative set of pawl limits, guides and ratchet gears can be implemented that create desired selective advancement of ratchets with alternative pressure sequences (e.g. high-med-high is a“one”, low- med-low is a“zero”, or vice versa). Such engineering choices can be driven by a multitude of factors, including materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, force requirements, speed, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, available address space, address space partitioning, pressure sequencing rate and tolerance for fluid flow activation delays, network bandwidth, termination 104 cutoff bandwidth among others. The present teachings require a pressure sequence to substantially clear a population of clocked mechanical elements to preferably known reset states and then a pressure sequence to selectively advance one or more clocked mechanical elements from said population to produce one or more race winners as communicated by an appliance 101 in the form of pressure modulations. [0268] Figure 31 shows a command evaluation and state storage mechanism 333 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, ratchet gear stack 620 621 has an evaluation pin 635 that can be selectively rotated into the path of an evaluation lever 731 that is pushed and pulled by the AC pressure motion of lever arm 730 driven by hydraulic actuator 301 and DC removal mechanism 303 (e.g. AC arm 441). In this embodiment, when a high AC pressure is applied and evaluation pin 635 is positioned correctly (i.e. the race winner), lever arm 730 is pushed toward pin 635 and the tip 741 of evaluation lever 731 causes it to rotate clockwise about pivot 743 on lever arm 730 and further pushes laterally on push arm 732 through pivot 744. In this embodiment, push arm 732 has a slot which can push on a state pin 733 connected to a state lever 734 which pivots around fixed axle 735. Axle 735 in Figure 31 is anchored to frame 422 by block 736. An inverted lever 737 shares axle 735 and is connected to state lever 734 through a torsion spring 738 which is arranged so that there are two stable position states of levers 734 and 737. If state lever 734 is pulled towards ratchet gear stack 620 621, inverted lever 737 is pushed away from ratchet gear stack 620 621. If state lever 735 is pushed away from ratchet gear stack 620 621 (e.g. through push arm 732 pushing on state pin 733) the spring force provided by torsion spring 738 will cause inverted lever 737 to flip so that it is pushed toward ratchet gear stack 620 621. In this embodiment, state lever 734 and inverted lever 737 form a bistable mechanical storage element with a restoring force supplied by torsion spring 738. In this embodiment, this bistable storage element is used to hold the desired state of the representative diverter valve 112 (e.g. output A or output B for a two-output diverter valve 112). In an operation of the embodiment, if the ratchet gear stack 620 621 has been selectively rotated by a matching address pressure sequence so that its evaluation pin 635 is in position to contact evaluation lever 731 741, a subsequent high pressure pulse will cause evaluation lever 731 to rotate clockwise and push on push arm 732 and pin 733 which will deterministically set the state of the bistable mechanical storage element formed by 734 737 and spring 738. In a further embodiment, inverted lever 737 is connected to a state link 739 through pivot 740 which can transmit the state of the bistable element to other mechanical elements for turning valve stem 419.
[0269] In a further embodiment, a second ratchet gear stack (not shown) has a different pattern of gear teeth and is preferentially used through similar selective advancement in response to an applied hydraulic pressure sequence to rotate its evaluation pin into a position wherein a second evaluation lever and a pull arm (not shown) can to reset the state of the bistable mechanical storage element formed by 734 737 and 738 by pulling pin 733 toward ratchet gear stack 620 621. In this embodiment, the set command operation has an N bit address and first ratchet gear stack 620 621 and the reset command operation has a different N bit address and a second ratchet gear stack (not shown).
[0270] Those skilled in the art, with the benefits of the present teachings, will recognize any number of ways to implement a bistable mechanical element and setting/resetting means that can mechanically sample the position of a mechanism that is selectively advanced by received pressure sequences. The mechanical storage of the present teachings can use any number or combinations of springs, elastomers, gravity, pressure and/or other restoring force and can take many mechanical configurations of levers, gears, slides, pins, axles, etc. with substantially the same functionality of capturing the instantaneous state of a selectively advanced element into a longer lived stored mechanical state. Such permutations and combinations of well know mechanical elements to implement the functionality of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
[0271] Figure 32 shows a bidirectional ratchet gear 337 mechanism for turning a ball valve according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a valve ratchet gear 770 with opposing ratchet teeth 783 784 covering approximately 90 degree sectors is affixed to a valve stem 771 419 of a two-output ball valve that requires approximately a 90 degree turn to switch between output ports. In a further embodiment, valve ratchet gear 770 has a lever extension 772 to allow manual turning of the ball valve stem 771 419. In this embodiment, two opposing valve pawls 335 772 773 are alternatively engaged to turn the valve stem 771 419 in either direction; valve pawls 772 and 773 are mechanically driven by a valve pawl arm 774 through pivot points 776 and 775 respectively. A valve pawl link 778 connects the valve pawls 772 773 and ensures that only one valve pawl is engaged at a time with the ratchet teeth of valve gear 770. Valve pawl arm 774 pivots around a fixed axle 777 and is driven by a power link acting on pivot point 781 to rotate about fixed pivot 777 by a hydraulic actuator 301 423 through rocker arm 427. If valve pawl 772 is engaged with valve gear teeth 783, valve gear 770 will turn counter-clockwise until the ratchet teeth 783 on that side of valve gear 770 are pushed out of the range of valve pawl 772 by the reciprocating motion of valve pawl arm 774 in response to hydraulic pressure modulations. Similarly, if valve pawl 773 is engaged with valve gear teeth 784, valve pawl 773 will rotate valve gear 770 clockwise until valve gear teeth 784 are pushed out of the
reciprocating range of valve pawl 773 in response to hydraulic pressure modulations applied through a power link (not shown) driving point 781. In this embodiment, the reciprocating rotation of valve pawl arm 774 about axle 777 causes the valve stem 419 to rotate approximately a quarter turn over some number of pressure modulations then automatically stop when the teeth 783 or 784 are sufficiently advanced. In this embodiment, the direction of the valve stem 419 motion is determined by which pawl of 772 773 is engaged; in this embodiment, valve pawls 772 and 773 are mechanically linked to the bistable inverted lever 739 driving pivot 782 through a pushrod (not shown). In this embodiment, the bistable mechanical state stored in 734 737 738 that is set or reset through selective advancement of ratchet gears 620 621 and sampled by evaluation lever 731 acting on evaluation pin 635 is transferred to the valve turning mechanism of Figure 32. In a further embodiment, the mechanical power for the reciprocating motion of valve pawl arm 774 is supplied directly by the hydraulic actuator 301. In an alternate embodiment, the reciprocating motion of valve pawl arm 774 is supplied by the DC removal 303 block.
[0272] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 32, the state of the valve pawls 772 773 is transferred to the rotational state of the ball valve stem 419 by the reciprocating motion of arm 774 in response to pressure modulation. By means of mechanical lever ratios in the power delivery point 781, central axle 777, valve pawl pivots 775 776 and valve gear 770 radius, a significant torque can be applied to valve stem 419. In this embodiment, the turning torque requirement of valve stem 419 can be mechanically reduced and translated so that small modulations of a hydraulic actuator (small in force and/or small in motion) can be harnessed to turn a large ball valve stem 419 with high torque by increasing the number of pressure modulation cycles required to complete a switch of the ball valve 417 state.
[0273] Those skilled in the art, with the benefit of the present teachings, can imagine any number of mechanical configurations to affect a valve state that is controlled by and/or intrinsically stores a bistable state. The choice of ball valve size, torque requirements, turn requirements, number of hydraulic ports, amplitude of mechanical and/or pressure modulations required to turn, gear tooth pitch and thickness, pawl materials, spring 738 selection, mechanical limits, location of pivot points, compactness of integration in addition to materials, backlash tolerance, manufacturing, cost, testing, reliability, cycle life, protocol implications, etc. result in a very large architecture and design parameter space. The present teachings require a means to transfer a mechanically captured and hydraulically communicated command state to effect a change in a controllable mechanical element (e.g. a ball valve stem position). The wide variety of means and implementations available to system designers (e.g. how specifically to use mechanical ratios to balance torque & valve size against extending the number of pressure cycles or their amplitudes) are dependent on application specifics and such choices are considered within the scope of the present teachings.
[0274] Figures 23 through 32 describe a particular embodiment of a diverter valve 112 that utilizes at its core a quarter turn ball valve 417 that is sized to present a negligible hydraulic impedance discontinuity to a terminated hydraulic transmission line 113 114. The interdependencies of desired flow rate, pipe sizing, pipe impedance, diverter valve sizing, diverter valve construction (e.g. ball valve vs. gate valve), torque requirements, signaling speed, protocol length, pressure modulation ranges relative to elevation tolerances, component working pressures, mechanical gear tolerances, hydraulic actuator sizing and power, spring sizing, appliance 101 component selections, etc. are complex and, while restrictive, can have multiple operating points that satisfy all engineering and business constraints. With the benefits of the present teachings, those skilled in the art of hydromechanical design can compose multiple equally workable implementations of pressure controlled hydraulic networks with the benefits and features of the present teachings.
[0275] Figures 33 and 34 show a protocol flow chart and example pressure modulation sequence for selectively addressing hydraulic devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 34 additionally shows the AC pawl position (e.g. of AC pawl arm 441 after DC removal 303; pawls 623 624 and evaluation arm 730 experience this motion as well). In what follows, the combination of ratchet gears 620 621 form a subcomponent herein called an address gear, each of which has a binary address of N bits and can be selectively advanced by matching pressure modulation sequences as described above.
[0276] In a first step 820 of this embodiment, an appliance 101 transmits a series of high amplitude pressure modulation cycles to reset all addressing gears in the hydraulically connected network 113 114 (e.g. ratchet gear stacks 620 621 turned to a known start position). In addition to resetting address gears, these high pressure modulations can complete any incomplete transfers of stored bistable states to final implemented states (e.g. the transfer of stored bit state in 734 737 738 to valve stem 419 position). At the end of the first step 820, the network and addressable elements are in a stable configuration with substantially all address gear stacks rotated to a known starting position.
[0277] In a second step 821 of this embodiment, an AM modulated pressure sequence is transmitted that reduces the AC amplitude of the pressure modulation over a sequence of cycles. As shown in the bottom half of Figure 34, the AC pawl position 840 841 hits the amplitude limits imposed by internal motion limiter(s) 448 in DC removal block 303 and only experiences a fixed AC motion range in protocol sections 830 840 831 841. If elevation or flow related static pressure changes are present (e.g. an open sprinkler causes a 5PSI drop over a long distance of network pipe), the adaptation operation 821 will re-center the DC-removal so that subsequent smaller amplitude pressure modulations will be interpreted correctly by the protocol receivers described in Figures 23 through 32. [0278] In a third step 822 of this embodiment, a start pulse comprising a high-mid-high sequence 832 842 is transmitted by appliance 101. As a consequence substantially all address gear stacks are advanced if they are hydraulically connected to the appliance 101.
[0279] In a fourth step 823 of this embodiment a sequence 833 843 of one or more mid-low-mid pulses are transmitted by the appliance to advance the address gears so that evaluation pins 635 are subsequently pushed past evaluation levers 731 741 in substantially all address gears hydraulically connected to appliance 101.
[0280] In a fifth step 824 of this embodiment, a pattern of high-low-high or high-mid-high pressure sequences 834 844 are transmitted by appliance 101 that match one or more
hydraulically connected address gears on hydraulic network 113 114. At the completion of the address transmission, one or more address gears in the hydraulically connected network 113 114 have selectively rotated their respective evaluation pins 635 ahead of all non-selected address gears in the hydraulically connected network 113 114.
[0281] In a sixth step 825 of this embodiment, a command pulse 835 845 comprising a high pressure level is transmitted by appliance 101 which has the effect of pushing all evaluation levers 731 of hydraulically connected devices; in the case where evaluation pins 635 of selected address gears are contacted, the bit state e.g. one of the two stable positions of mechanism 734 737 738 of the selected hydraulic devices is set or reset depending on the command and address gears selected in step 824. In a further embodiment, the command pulse pressure can be raised substantially to generate more motive force to flip internal bit states stored in e.g. 734 737 738.
[0282] In a seventh step 826 of this embodiment, a sequence 836 846 of high amplitude power cycles is transmitted by appliance 101 with a first purpose of transferring the state(s) captured in step 825 to output means such as the position of a diverter ball valve stem 419 by way of a valve ratchet gear 770 and reciprocating pawls 772 773. In addition to transferring state between storage and e.g. a valve, the high amplitude pressure cycles of this step act to reset all address wheels (selected and/or unselected in step 824) to a known starting state. Note that address gears on the network 113 114 that win the race will complete two full revolutions whereas address gears that lose the race (by mismatching the received address sequence) will only complete a single rotation over steps 820 to 826.
[0283] In an optional eighth step 827 of this embodiment, a pause can be inserted to allow for fluid delivery to one or more opened emitter ports 106 or in accordance with a fluid delivery schedule controlled by the appliance 101 (e.g.“all done for today”). In this embodiment, steps 826 and/or 827 can recycle to step 820 (if for some reason network state is expected to be unknown, e.g. re-opening a new hydraulic network branch 113 by a prior operation to change a diverter valve) or directly to step 821 in case network state is reasonably assumed.
[0284] In a further embodiment of the invention, when a diverter valve is changed the appliance 101 may implement additional checks and signaling (not shown) such as reducing the slew rate as the diverter ball valve changes state, checking for entrapped air, performing detailed leak analysis, executing“all off’ broadcast or multicast commands, etc. to both transition to a different branch (and hence different termination) and also prepare said newly opened branch for subsequent rapid and reliable communication and commands.
[0285] Figure 35 shows a physical realization of a multiport emitter valve 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment a housing 870 has an input port 871 which can be connected to a hydraulic network 113 114. In an embodiment a controllable output port 872 can be selected by hydraulic signaling of the type described above to enable and disable the flow of fluid from input port 871 to selected output port 872. In this embodiment, manual control buttons 873 and 874 can activate flow or deactivate flow. Multiple outputs and corresponding manual control buttons 875 (in this example eight total) optionally share components within housing 870 (e.g. a single hydraulic actuator 301) to amortize cost, materials, components and complexity across a plurality of output ports. In a further embodiment, output port 872 is preferentially comprised of a barb fitting for connection to ¼” drip emitter tubing.
[0286] Figure 36 shows an alternative physical realization of a multiport emitter valve according to an embodiment of the present invention comprising a housing 880, an input port 881 and a bypass port 882 for connection in a hydraulic branching network 113 114, at least one output port 883 that can be manually controlled by buttons 884 and 885. In operation, output port 883 can be commanded by hydraulic network communication as described herein to activate and deactivate fluid flow from input port 881 or bypass port 882. Additional output ports and associated manual controls 886 optionally share and amortize components across a plurality of output ports. In a further embodiment of Figure 36, output ports 883 and equivalents are constructed to fit ½” poly or swing tubing with clamp, quick connect, press fit, threaded and/or barbed hydraulic connections to support simple connection to a variety of endpoints such as sprinkler heads, sprays, drip tape, bubblers or other similar irrigation endpoints.
[0287] Those skilled in the art will recognize the wide variety of choices for the number of input/bypass ports (to be connected to a branch of hydraulic transmission line network 113 114) and the number and configuration of output ports and connection types. Such configurations and implementation choices depend on use cases, e.g. a string of emitter valves may benefit from outputs configured on multiple sides of a rectangular housing 880, a cylindrical housing with fewer or greater number of outputs or buttons in a vertical mounted position to encourage gravity drainage of standing water. Furthermore, levers or knobs may be preferable to buttons for manual activation of flows; such mechanical permutations and configurations are well known design variations in the art and are considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0288] Figure 37 shows a functional block diagram of a representative emitter valve 111 according to an embodiment of the invention comprising an input port 871 881 120 which is connected to a hydraulic actuator 121. In Figure 37, hydraulic connections are represented by solid lines and mechanical connections are represented by dotted lines. Hydraulic actuator 121 creates a mechanical motion 122 in response to pressure changes at hydraulic input port 120. In a preferred embodiment, this mechanical motion 122 is approximately linearly related to the input hydraulic pressure at 120. Hydraulic actuator 121 generates a mechanical motion 122 over a large range of input pressures at 120. In a preferred embodiment, such input pressures at 120 may range from 10PSI to 90PSI. In an alternative embodiment, such pressures might range from 15PSI to 65PSI. In contrast, the signaling protocol of the present invention shown in Figures 33 and 34 and their descriptions preferentially requires only a fraction of the available pressure range, e.g. 35PSI peak-to-peak or alternatively 45PSI from peak-to-peak, leaving the remainder of the pressure range available for elevation induced and hydraulic flow induced pressure offsets.
[0289] As with the diverter valve 112, emitter valves 111 are desirably insensitive to input pressure offsets; in an embodiment of the invention the mechanical motion 122 of hydraulic actuator 121 is passed through a DC removal mechanism 123 that adapts away DC pressure offsets present in the input pressure waveform and outputs an AC mechanical signal 124 that substantially only responds to the AC component of an incident pressure waveform at port 120.
[0290] In a further embodiment, the AC mechanical signal 124 is further passed to addressing pawls 125 that can selectively advance one or more address ratchet gears 127 in response to a prescribed sequence of AC motions 124 on address pawls 125. Address ratchet gears 127 are turned preferentially so that, in the case of a unicast message reception, a selected address ratchet gear 127 will achieve a unique position 128 relative to all other non-selected address ratchet gears 127 reacting to the pressure modulation in the system. In an embodiment of the invention, the position 128 is evaluated by mechanism 129 using AC mechanical motion 124, effectively sampling a hydraulically transmitted state command mechanically. In an embodiment of the invention the evaluation mechanism 129 can decode both an open command address ratchet gear 127 and a separate close command address ratchet gear 127. In an embodiment of the invention, these two separate address ratchet gears 127 are selectively advanced by two distinct address transmissions from an appliance 101 depending on the desired action (e.g. to open or to close an emitter port). In a further embodiment, the open command sampling creates a mechanical motion 130 that releases an open catch 131 that, if the selected valve port is in the off state, was retaining a valve plunger 133 of a multiport diaphragm valve 135. In a further embodiment, a spring and hydraulic pressure both push on valve plunger 133 causing it to pop open and activate a flow if open catch 131 is released. In a further embodiment, in the open state a close catch 139 prevents the valve plunger 133 from reaching a close cam 142. In order to close the valve of this embodiment, a close command received by address ratchet gears 127 is evaluated by mechanism 129 and releases close catch 139 which allows valve plunger 133 to engage cam 142. In a further embodiment, by engaging cam 142, a close ratchet gear 142 is able to be driven by close pawl 141 to rotate, causing a gradual return of the valve plunger 133 and diaphragm valve 135 to a closed state over a number of received hydraulic pressure cycles. In an embodiment of the invention, the close pawl 141 is driven by the raw hydraulic actuator 121 output prior to DC removal 123 in order to maximize the available closing power at 122 and minimize the mechanical load on said DC removal mechanism 123, preferentially simplifying its design.
[0291] Additionally in an embodiment of the invention, a manual operation button for opening 145 can supply motion to open catch 131 and release one or more ports of the multiport diaphragm valve 135 to activate one or more output port flows at ports 144; in addition a close button 147 can press on one or more valve plungers 133 and restore them and the specific port or ports of the multiport diaphragm valve 135 to an off position. In a further embodiment, input hydraulic source 120 is regulated to a lower pressure by pressure regulator 136 to generate a steady fluid pressure 137 which is then switched by multiport diaphragm valve 135 to create multiple output flows 144 with stable pressure. In a further embodiment, the pressure regulator 136 is set to a low enough pressure so that the flow induced pressure drops and elevation change pressure drops are not transferred to output ports 144.
[0292] In an alternative embodiment, valve closing means 141 142 133 are mechanically driven by an AC mechanical signal 124 that is generated by a DC removal mechanism 123.
[0293] In an embodiment of the present invention, each output port 144 has an associated open button 145 with pin linkage 146. In an embodiment of the present invention, each output port 144 has an associated close button 147 with pin linkage 148. In an alternate embodiment, a subset or all of the output ports 144 can be closed with a single button 147 and single pin linkage 148.
[0294] Figure 38 shows a physical realization of the command evaluation and valve control mechanism of a representative emitter valve 111 according to an embodiment of the invention. Address ratchet gears 127 160 162 rotate around axle 161. In a similar fashion to the clocking pawl mechanism of Figures 29 and 30, address ratchet gear stacks 160 and 162 are selectively rotated by a pattern of high, mid and low pressure modulations extracted from the pressure waveform present at the hydraulic input 120. In this embodiment, an open address ratchet gear 162 has an evaluation pin (hidden in Figure 38) similar to pin 163 on address gear 160 that is evaluated by mechanism 129 by the AC pressure motion of evaluation arm 164 and the contact of evaluation lever 166 with the evaluation pin of address gear 162. In this embodiment, if this open evaluation pin is properly positioned (i.e. it won the address race and is the most advanced of all gear stacks) so that it contacts evaluation lever 166 upon the application of a high AC pressure (downward motion of 164 in Figure 38), the evaluation lever 166 will pivot about point 167 and pull on evaluation bar 191. Upon this evaluation motion, open catch 170 is pulled left in Figure 38, nominally releasing retaining lever 173 which is pushed up by compression spring 174 which sits between plunger 176 and retaining lever 173. In this embodiment, retaining lever 173 pivots around fixed axle 183 while plunger lever 175 and plunger 176 pivot around fixed axle 182. In this embodiment, plunger 176 and plunger lever 175 are a solid part and pivot together about axle 182. In a further embodiment, open catch 170 pivots around catch axle 171 which is also affixed to upper frame 172. In this embodiment sheet diaphragm 177 is clamped between the upper frame 172 and a lower manifold frame 178 which has a central input port 179 and an encircling output channel 180 that feeds an output port 181. In this embodiment, if plunger 176 is pressed sufficiently vertically down by spring 174 and retaining lever 173, the bottom face of plunger 176 will press against diaphragm material 177 vertically to seal and block the flow of fluid from orifice 179 to orifice 181. In this embodiment, the spring force developed by catch 170 holding the retaining lever 173 down, spring 174 and plunger 176 is sufficient to hold back an input pressure at orifice 179 well above the operating range of the hydraulic network 113 114 (e.g. 100PSI or 125PSI). In an alternate embodiment, the spring force developed by spring 174 in a closed position is sufficient to hold back a pressure more than the limit imposed by pressure regulator 136 at point 137 in Figure 37. In a further embodiment, when open catch 170 is released, retaining lever 173, spring 174 and plunger 176 produce a sufficiently low force on diaphragm 177 that fluid can flow between input orifice 179 and output orifice 181 relatively unimpeded without significant pressure loss.
[0295] In a further operation of this embodiment, if fluid flow between input 179 and output 181 orifices has been started through the release of open catch 170, retaining lever 173 will be pushed up and caught by close catch 169. In this embodiment, close catch 169 prevents a protrusion 184 of retaining lever 173 from contacting spiral close cam 185 which is attached to close ratchet gear 187 and rotates about axle 186. In a further operation of this embodiment, if a pressure sequence is received that selectively advances address ratchet gear 160 so that evaluation pin 163 is in a position where a high pressure AC movement of evaluation arm 164 downward in Figure 38 causes evaluation lever 165 to rotate about pivot 167, evaluation arm 192 is pulled so that close catch 169 releases retaining arm 173. In a further operation of this embodiment, when close catch 169 further releases retaining arm 173, the compression spring 174 pushes retaining arm protrusion 184 to make contact with spiral close cam 185. In this embodiment, the surfaces of the protrusion 184 and spiral cam 185 have sufficient friction so that the spiral cam 185 and its attached close ratchet gear 185 are then restricted from easily spinning about fixed axle 186.
[0296] In a further embodiment, close pawl 188 is pushed by a small spring (not shown) to constantly engage close ratchet gear 187. In this embodiment, close pawl 188 is driven vertically by a DC pressure motion 122 directly from hydraulic actuator 121 and will advance one tooth of close ratchet gear 187 per high-low pressure cycle about fixed axle 186 only when protrusion 184 and spiral cam 185 make friction contact sufficient to hold the close ratchet gear 187 against the return stroke of close pawl 188. The advancing of close ratchet gear 187 and spiral cam 185 when protrusion 184 and cam 185 are in friction contact causes spiral cam 185 to push down on protrusion 184 and retaining lever 173 progressively on low-to-high pressure cycles,
compressing spring 174, pushing down on plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 until the fluid flow between input orifice 179 and output orifice 181 is cut off. In this embodiment, spiral cam 185 is designed to have an increasing radius that has sufficient range of motion to increase the force on spring 174, plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 to overcome input water pressure seen at 137 and close the fluid flow between orifices 179 and 181. In a further embodiment, the spiral cam 185 is further designed with sufficient range of motion to reset both the open catch 170 and close catch 169 within one full rotation or a fractional rotation. In this embodiment, if protrusion 184 and cam 185 are not in friction contact, close pawl 188 and close ratchet gear 185 will simply reciprocate with the direct motion 122 supplied by hydraulic actuator 121 and not advance spiral cam 185.
[0297] In a further embodiment, open pin 190 is positioned so that it can activate open catch 170 to release retaining lever 173 which reduces the force on compression spring 174, plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 allowing fluid flow between orifices 179 and 181. In a further embodiment, close pin 189 is positioned to push retaining lever 173 into a re-latched position by applying force to retaining lever 173, compression spring 174, plunger 176 and diaphragm 177 which has the effect of blocking fluid flow between orifices 179 and 181. In a further embodiment, open pin 190 and close pin 189 are mechanically driven by manual operation buttons 873 874 of Figure 35 or similar manual operation buttons 884 885 of Figure 36.
[0298] In a further embodiment, close address ratchet gear 160, evaluation lever 165, evaluation arm 192, close catch 169, spiral cam 185, close ratchet gear 187 and close pawl 188 are shared between many diaphragm valves within a multiport emitter valve 111 connecting a multitude of input orifices 179 to output orifices 181. In this embodiment, close address ratchet gear 160 is selectively advanced by a pressure sequence encoding a command to close all outputs, e.g. the eight outputs of the emitter valve of Figure 35, at the same time. In this embodiment, any output ports that had been opened will be closed by the pressure driven reciprocating motion 122 of a single close pawl 188 that advances a single close ratchet gear 187, turning a single spiral cam 185 against a multitude of protrusions 184 and retaining levers 173 (one per output). In an alternative embodiment, the number of close mechanisms is more than one but different than the number of outputs. The design decision of the number of close mechanisms can be influenced by many factors such as form factor, design complexity, cost, friction properties, number of pressure cycles required, available hydraulic power, AC pressure range, linearity of hydraulic actuator, etc. and as such is not required by the present teachings to be a specific ratio.
[0299] In a further embodiment of the invention of Figure 37, the hydraulic actuator output 122 is coupled to the close catches 139 169 so that if the input pressure is reduced below some absolute threshold (e.g. 5 PSI), the close catches 139 169 are triggered. In this embodiment, the de-pressurization of the network causes all opened emitter valve ports 144 to be placed into a pending close condition so that when the network is re-pressurized and high/low pressure cycles are applied, all open outputs will be ratcheted closed. In a further embodiment, the motion of close pawl 188 and the spacing of close ratchet gear 187 teeth are chosen so that only a small AC modulation is necessary to advance close cam 185. In this embodiment, if many emitter valves 111 have open ports (e.g. through inadvertent manual operation or addressing fault) and the appliance 101 has insufficient flow capacity to develop a full high-to-low pressure cycle against the many open valves, the network can be first depressurized to release the close catches 139 169 then cycled with relatively low pressure swings to close any open emitter valve 111 ports on the network 113 114 and restore emitter valves 111 to a closed state which allows the network to be run at higher pressures for the protocol signaling of the present teachings.
[0300] Any of the valves described herein (e.g., valve 103, diverter valve 112, emitter valve 111) may be a hydromechanical device, which may be addressable. Each valve may have a corresponding address. The address for a valve may be unique to that valve for a given hydraulic network. For instance, no two valves within the hydraulic network may have the same address. Alternatively, two or more valves may have the same address when it is desired that they be controlled together. The valves may include an address mechanism that may correspond to the address. The address mechanism may be configured with the address. The address may be physically encoded as part of the address mechanism. The shape of the address mechanism may uniquely correspond to a given address. The physical morphology of the address mechanism may be indicative of a given address. The address mechanisms for valves with different addresses may have different shapes. For instance, one or more ratchets may be provided as described elsewhere herein, with teeth positioned to correspond to the address. The address mechanisms may be advanced selectively. The hydraulic pressure may cause the mechanism to be advanced, with aid of an actuator. When the pressure sequences correspond to the address of a given valve, a state change may occur for the valve, which may affect the flow of a fluid within the valve immediately or after additional pressure sequences. The state change may include whether one or more output ports of the valve are opened or closed. In some instances, the opening of the ports may be individually controlled. When the pressure sequences do not correspond to the address of a given valve, the state change may not occur at that valve.
[0301] Those skilled in the art of hydromechanical design will recognize the numerous well- known design options available to achieve similar functionality to the specific example presented here. Converting the positions of one or more selectively advanced address ratchet gears 160 162 into a mechanical trigger that then opens or closes some type of bistable fluid valve mechanism can take many forms utilizing many configurations of levers, arms, pins, cams, escapements, gears, slides, etc. operating on ball valves, pilot valves, gate vales, butterfly valves, etc. using springs, elastomers, pistons, bellows, alternative diaphragm arrangements, etc. to implement a means to control fluid flow. Similarly, the manual override of such open or closed valve state can take many forms other than buttons, e.g. dials, cranks, sliders, thumbwheels, knobs, etc. The specific design illustrated in Figures 34 to 38 is one of many possible implementations available to a designer with the benefit of the present teachings; the invention generally requires a means to convert one or more selectively addressed ratchet gear positions into stable mechanical states of a fluid control valve which can take many forms to those skilled in the art. Such engineering choices can be driven by a multitude of factors, including materials, manufacturing costs, design complexity, tooling costs, assembly complexity, wear patterns, friction, lifecycle, force requirements, speed, sensitivity to pressure waveform noise or signal integrity, availability of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing test cycle times, mechanical tolerance limitations, scheduling flexibility, engineering familiarity, form factor, user experience and ease of field maintenance, among others. [0302] In another embodiment of the invention, a discrete set or analog state may be implemented using the methods of the present teachings. For example, a ball valve can be partially opened and left in that state using a shortened sequence of pressure cycles. An emitter valve using ball valves may be partially opened to control fluid flow and the watering pattern of one or more sprinkler heads. A diverter valve may be partially opened to simplify winterization blow out using compressed air. Alternatively, a special command corresponding to another address ratchet gear stack can encode an operation such as“half open” or“all open” to facilitate such winterization or other desired operation.
[0303] In embodiments similar to that of Figure 21 with diverter valves 112 and branching networks 113 114, the appliance 101 can pressurize the network and perform an automated (sensing from appliance 101) or visual check of the pressurized network as an installation step.
In a further embodiment, manual control of diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 is used to pressurize, test and flush each branch and output path 106 of the hydraulic network 113 114 106. In an embodiment of the present invention, appliance 101 pressurizes network 113 114, isolates the network 113 114 and then monitors holding pressure with pressure sensor 237 or
alternatively reports flow rate using sensors so that an installer can monitor system pressure through a smartphone app while manually configuring diverter valves 112 and emitter valves 111 in the field. In this embodiment, debris is flushed from hydraulic network 113 114 106 and devices 111 112 104 while connectivity and leaks are identified before trenches are substantially backfilled. Such testing and flushing of irrigation systems is well known in the art and various sequencings (e.g. partial network pressurization, test by segment, install emitters last, flush-as- you-go, scan after install, etc.) can be applied generally to the present teachings without diminishing the scope of the invention.
[0304] In this embodiment, once the hydraulic network has been flushed and manually tested, the installer or user instructs (via smartphone app, web interface, etc.) the appliance 101 to start a network discovery and diagnostic process. In this embodiment, the appliance 101 has a list of all the diverter valve 112 addresses and emitter valve 111 addresses from device barcode or NFC scans and further may know which outputs of emitter valves 111 are configured with emitters 107 (as opposed to capped closed or left open). In this embodiment, the appliance 101 generates a series of tests of diverter valve 112 and emitter valve 111 addresses in addition to low absolute pressure clears and slow signaling to initialize terminations 104 and eliminate entrapped air in network 113 114. During these search sequences, the appliance 101 learns the topology (e.g. the branching location of diverter valves 112, the branch location of emitter valves 111) by measuring flows, pressure holding capability, termination state, reflections, termination cutoff frequencies, etc. by evaluating the complex response of the network to various supplied addresses, pressures and flows. In a further embodiment, the multiport ball valve of diverter valves 112 is constructed so that it will connect input 300 to multiple outputs 343 344 transiently which will create a pressure and flow signature at the appliance 101 that indicates whether a particular diverter valve 112 address was received. In this embodiment, a simple linear search of diverter valve 112 addresses with detection of termination 104 and/or network capacity changes can determine the hierarchical location of all diverter valves 112 in the network relative to each other (i.e. parent-child relationships of diverters 112 in the network topology). In a still further embodiment, once the diverter valve 112 topology is known, each branch configuration can be tested with emitter valve 111 addresses to determine which emitter valves 111 live on which network branches 113 114. In this embodiment, the appliance 101 can develop, over the course of many such trials, tests and measurements, a model of the logical layout of the network 113 114 so that future irrigation commands (e.g. opening a particular port of a particular emitter valve 111) can be translated into a sequence of diverter valve 112 commands to activate the appropriate branches of hydraulic network 113 114 and emitter valve 111 commands to open or close the desired port(s). In a further embodiment, a diagnostic report is generated for an installer and/or user after a discovery operation giving an inventory and status of all discovered network elements and any potentially missing or malfunctioning devices.
[0305] In a further embodiment a network branch 113 114 blowout of a segment triggers a smartphone notification and/or the automatic isolation of a branch or subnet of the overall branching network 113 114 until repairs can be made by an installer or user.
[0306] In a further embodiment, if an installer or user desires to add or subtract diverter valves 112 and/or emitter valves 111 from the hydraulic network, the process of scanning (to add or remove devices, with an alert/exception flow for address collisions), installing, flushing, associating, setting properties and auto-discovery can proceed as before on only the changes; the appliance 101 preferentially uses prior network information to inform an incremental search and diagnostic tests similar to the initial installation but without any rescanning or re-association of unchanged devices. In this embodiment, the appliance 101 learns any topology changes (if diverter valves 112 are changed or emitter valves 111 are added, deleted or moved to different branches) and updates the logical routing to emitter valves 111 and incorporates any load changes (e.g. a 1 GPH drip emitter replaced with a 10 GPH string of drip emitters) indicated by re-association or onboarding parameter changes.
[0307] Those skilled in the art will recognize the multitude of possible configurations of the described valve such as the number and location of network ports, the number and location of emitter ports, the position and sizes of buttons or other manual controls, the location and scanning method (barcode, NFC, etc.) of an identifier that corresponds to the specific address(es) of the valve core, the installed depth of the connection ports (e.g. emitter outputs higher or lower than network connections), and the integration of self-sealing shutoff valves, plugs and/or caps integrated or installed into a base or valve. Such configuration choices shown in Figures 16, 20, 23, 35 and 36 are for illustrative purposes and do not limit the scope of the present teachings. Furthermore, to facilitate different installation workflows, operation and maintenance, the features of the valve base 801, gasket/diaphragm 802, valve core 800 and cover 975 can be modified in many ways, such as with a screw lid and/or locking mechanism and cleanout ports to aid field serviceability. Such modifications and permutations are within the scope of the present teachings.
[0308] It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particular implementations have been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein. It is also not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examples provided within the specification. While the invention has been described with reference to the aforementioned specification, the descriptions and illustrations of the preferable embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it shall be understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions, configurations or relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. Various modifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the invention will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is therefore contemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications, variations and equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A method for controlling flow of a fluid within a hydraulic network with aid of an addressable hydromechanical device, said method comprising:
receiving, at the hydromechanical device, an input hydraulic pressure sequence; selectively advancing an address mechanism of the hydromechanical device in response to the hydraulic pressure sequence, wherein the address mechanism is configured with an address for the hydromechanical device; and
permitting a state change that controls the flow of the fluid when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydromechanical device comprises a hydraulic actuator configured to move in response to the input hydraulic pressure sequence, which causes the address mechanism to advance in response to the movement of the hydraulic actuator.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the address mechanism has a physical shape corresponding to the address for the hydromechanical device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic network comprises a plurality of addressable hydromechanical devices, wherein each hydromechanical device comprises an address that is unique within the hydraulic network.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the state change comprises selectively opening one or more output ports, or closing one or more output ports.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting a state change that controls the flow of fluid when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to a broadcast command that permits a state change in a plurality of hydromechanical devices within the hydraulic network.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic network comprises an irrigation appliance configured to generate the hydraulic pressure sequence and one or more pipes to convey the hydraulic pressure sequence to the hydromechanical device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic network is used for landscape irrigation with aid of one or more emitters.
9. An addressable hydromechanical device comprising:
an input port configured to receive an input hydraulic pressure;
an address mechanism configured to selectively advance in response to the hydraulic pressure, wherein the address mechanism is configured with an address for the hydromechanical device; and a state change mechanism that controls the flow of the fluid within the
hydromechanical device, wherein a state change is permitted when the hydraulic pressure sequence corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device.
10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a hydraulic actuator configured to move in response to the input hydraulic pressure, wherein the hydraulic actuator causes the response of the address mechanism.
11. The device of claim 10, wherein the hydraulic actuator comprises a braided sleeve configured to radially expand, thereby creating axial tension, upon increase of fluid pressure.
12. The device of claim 10, further comprising an evaluation mechanism configured to respond to the movement of the hydraulic actuator and to the address mechanism, wherein the state mechanism responds to the evaluation mechanism.
13. The device of claim 9, wherein the address mechanism has a physical shape corresponding to the address for the hydromechanical device.
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the address mechanism comprises a plurality of ratchet gears with teeth positioned in a manner to create a binary address that corresponds to the address of the hydromechanical device.
15. The device of claim 9, wherein the state change mechanism causes one or more output ports of the hydromechanical device to open or close.
16. A system for controlling fluid flow within a hydraulic network, said system comprising:
an irrigation appliance for generating one or more pressure sequences within the hydraulic network;
one or more pipes configured to convey the one or more pressure sequences; and at least one termination of the one or more pipes configured to absorb hydraulic pressure transients.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the termination matches a hydraulic impedance of the one or more pipes.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the termination comprises a hydraulic resistor that causes hydraulic resistance to be substantially constant over a range of flow rates or pressure differentials.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein hydraulic resistor comprises a housing configured to conduct flow through a mechanical barrier that deflects progressively with increasing fluid flow.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the mechanical barrier comprises an orifice formed of a cutout arranged in a pattern with a plurality of fingers that are configured to deflect with increasing fluid flow.
21. The system of claim 18, wherein the termination further comprises a flush valve, and air tank, and an accumulation tank.
PCT/US2019/029412 2018-04-26 2019-04-26 Hydraulic communication network and irrigation system WO2019210212A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201862662793P 2018-04-26 2018-04-26
US62/662,793 2018-04-26
US201962820503P 2019-03-19 2019-03-19
US62/820,503 2019-03-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2019210212A1 true WO2019210212A1 (en) 2019-10-31

Family

ID=68293681

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2019/029412 WO2019210212A1 (en) 2018-04-26 2019-04-26 Hydraulic communication network and irrigation system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2019210212A1 (en)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN112913523A (en) * 2021-01-19 2021-06-08 青岛左岸传媒有限公司 Internet seedling cultivation device convenient to adjust solution ratio
CN113275141A (en) * 2021-05-25 2021-08-20 李朝清 Agricultural irrigation spray head with elastic protection structure and application method thereof
WO2022084705A1 (en) * 2020-10-19 2022-04-28 2Wire Innovations Ltd. Irrigation subsystem and method for locating a decoder unit in an irrigation system
WO2022132644A1 (en) * 2020-12-15 2022-06-23 Freight Farms, Inc. Systems and methods for controlling and monitoring farms
WO2022159477A1 (en) * 2021-01-20 2022-07-28 Watts Regulator Co. Check valve testing systems and leak detection methods using the same
WO2023278562A1 (en) * 2021-06-30 2023-01-05 Urban Planter Llc Precision irrigation system, method, and computer program product
CN116449461A (en) * 2023-06-15 2023-07-18 成都信息工程大学 Automatic identifying method for south branch groove
US11773881B2 (en) 2020-12-17 2023-10-03 Cnh Industrial America Llc Hydraulic system with electronic identifiers

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020124880A1 (en) * 2001-03-07 2002-09-12 Akio Tanikawa Irrigation valve
US20030155433A1 (en) * 2002-02-21 2003-08-21 Gregory Christian T. Sprinkler with nozzle gate valve
US20070194150A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2007-08-23 Orbit Irrigation Products, Inc. Combined valve, filter, and regulator irrigation apparatus
US20090001193A1 (en) * 2002-06-24 2009-01-01 Parsons Natan E Communication system for multizone irrigation
US20150150199A1 (en) * 2012-05-24 2015-06-04 Enplas Corporation Drip irrigation emitter and drip irrigation device equipped with same

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020124880A1 (en) * 2001-03-07 2002-09-12 Akio Tanikawa Irrigation valve
US20030155433A1 (en) * 2002-02-21 2003-08-21 Gregory Christian T. Sprinkler with nozzle gate valve
US20090001193A1 (en) * 2002-06-24 2009-01-01 Parsons Natan E Communication system for multizone irrigation
US20070194150A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2007-08-23 Orbit Irrigation Products, Inc. Combined valve, filter, and regulator irrigation apparatus
US20150150199A1 (en) * 2012-05-24 2015-06-04 Enplas Corporation Drip irrigation emitter and drip irrigation device equipped with same

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2022084705A1 (en) * 2020-10-19 2022-04-28 2Wire Innovations Ltd. Irrigation subsystem and method for locating a decoder unit in an irrigation system
US11537641B2 (en) 2020-10-19 2022-12-27 2Wire Innovations Ltd. Irrigation subsystem and method for locating a decoder unit in an irrigation system
WO2022132644A1 (en) * 2020-12-15 2022-06-23 Freight Farms, Inc. Systems and methods for controlling and monitoring farms
US11773881B2 (en) 2020-12-17 2023-10-03 Cnh Industrial America Llc Hydraulic system with electronic identifiers
CN112913523A (en) * 2021-01-19 2021-06-08 青岛左岸传媒有限公司 Internet seedling cultivation device convenient to adjust solution ratio
WO2022159477A1 (en) * 2021-01-20 2022-07-28 Watts Regulator Co. Check valve testing systems and leak detection methods using the same
CN113275141A (en) * 2021-05-25 2021-08-20 李朝清 Agricultural irrigation spray head with elastic protection structure and application method thereof
CN113275141B (en) * 2021-05-25 2022-10-11 同心县金垚育种科技有限公司 Agricultural irrigation spray head with elastic protection structure and application method thereof
WO2023278562A1 (en) * 2021-06-30 2023-01-05 Urban Planter Llc Precision irrigation system, method, and computer program product
CN116449461A (en) * 2023-06-15 2023-07-18 成都信息工程大学 Automatic identifying method for south branch groove
CN116449461B (en) * 2023-06-15 2023-08-11 成都信息工程大学 Automatic identifying method for south branch groove

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
WO2019210212A1 (en) Hydraulic communication network and irrigation system
US10088849B2 (en) Fluid activated flow control apparatus
US8371325B1 (en) Soil moisture responsive irrigation flow control valve
US8862277B1 (en) Automatic efficient irrigation threshold setting
US20190105679A1 (en) Irrigation monitoring system and method
US20040217189A1 (en) System and method for controlling irrigation
AU1826101A (en) Automatic adjustment of irrigation schedule according to condition of plants
US20050279856A1 (en) Water-conserving surface irrigation systems and methods
US20040039489A1 (en) Irrigation control system
WO2016112138A1 (en) Irrigation flow sensor
CN205865419U (en) Agricultural thing networking automatic irrigation system
Masseroni et al. Towards a smart automated surface irrigation management in rice-growing areas in Italy
Zazueta et al. Irrigation system controllers
AU2014391079A1 (en) Sprinkler apparatus and system for irrigation
US11166419B2 (en) Smart root watering system
Little et al. Uniformity in pressurized irrigation systems depends on design, installation
WO2010061375A1 (en) An apparatus and method for operating pressure-compensated drippers at low flow rates
US11071264B2 (en) System and method for latching solenoid activation detection for VRI and other irrigation uses
Obota et al. Soil moisture based irrigation control system for rice cropping using wireless sensor network
Simonne et al. Drip-irrigation systems for small conventional vegetable farms and organic vegetable farms: HS 1144/HS388, 6/2008
CN205756149U (en) A kind of Intelligent water valve controller
US20170339852A1 (en) Watering system
Gillies Modernisation of furrow irrigation in the sugar industry: final report 2014/079
Lo et al. Variable-rate chemigation via center pivots
US20050145720A1 (en) Chemical additive dispensing device for use with a station of an irrigation system

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 19791966

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 19791966

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1