United States Patent [19]
`Duxbury
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`4,760,547
`Jul. 26, 1988
`
`1/1986 Hirsch ................................. 364/400
`4,567,563
`4,569,020 2/1986 Snoddy et al .................. 364/420
`4,626,984 12/1986 Unruh et al .................... 364/420
`4,646,224 2/1987 Ransburg et al ............... 364/420
`4,675,898 7/1987 Bellenger ........................... 379/97
`
`[76]
`
`[56]
`
`[54] REMOTE CONTROLLED MULTI-STATION
`IRRIGATION SYSTEM WITH DTMF
`TRANSMITTER
`Jonathan W. Duxbury, 3673
`Inventor:
`Citronella, Simi Valley, Calif. 93063
`Primary Examiner-Jerry Smith
`[21] Appl. No.: 779,659
`Assistant Examiner-Allen MacDonald
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Koppel & Jacobs
`Sep. 24, 1985
`[22] Filed:
`[57]
`ABSTRACT
`Int. Cl.4 ...............
`.. .... .... .... . . .... ..
`[51]
`G05D 7/06
`A remote controlled multi-station irrigation system in
`[52] U.S. CI ...................................
`364/420; 455/95;
`which discrete radio signals are transmitted from a
`239/69; 364/146; 364/510
`remote location for each different function to be per-
`[58] Field of Search ............ 364/146, 400, 420, 510;
`formed. The system includes a controller with a central
`137/15; 239/68, 70, 69; 455/95-100
`processor, individual station actuator circuits, and inter-
`References Cited
`face circuitry; a transmitter which preferably transmits
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`in an FM dual tone multi-frequency format, and a re-
`ceiver which decodes the transmitted signal to hexadec-
`Re. 31,023
`Hall, III ....................... 364/400 X
`imal data. The controller is automatically converted
`3,726,477
`Shapiro ....
`239/70
`.......................
`from a local to a remote operating mode by the insertion
`4,008,776
`Kushmuk ...................... 177/241
`of a connecting cable from the receiver. The controller
`4,015,366
`Hall, III ....................... 364/400 X
`can be operated in real time or programmed for future
`4,162,449
`Bouyssounouse ................ 455/100
`Neves et al ....................... 135/15
`4,185,650
`operation from a remote location. The receiver can also
`4,203,109
`Ballard et al .....................
`455/99
`be adapted for conventional controllers by adding field
`4,209,131
`Barash et al ...................... 239/68
`actuator circuitry which is connected directly to the
`4,236,594
`Ramsperger .................. 364/424
`field wires, bypassing the controller during remote op-
`4,244,022
`Kendall .............................. 364/420
`eration.
`4,385,206
`Bradshaw et al ............... 379/284
`4,423,484
`Hamilton ......................... 364/420
`4,471,493
`Schober ............................. 455/97
`
`9/1982
`4/1973
`2/1977
`4/1977
`7/1979
`1/1980
`5/1980
`6/1980
`12/1980
`1/1981
`5/1983
`12/1983
`9/1984
`
`20 Claims, No Drawings
`
`Lindsay Corporation
`IPR2015-01039
`
`Exhibit 1006 - 258
`
`

`
`1
`
`4,7
`
`REMOTE CONTROLLED MULTI-STATION
`IRRIGATION SYSTEM WITH DTMF
`TRANSMITIER
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Field of the Invention
`This invention relates to irrigation control systems,
`and more particularly to a system in which a multi-sta-
`tion controller can be operated from a remote location.
`2. Description of the Prior Art
`There are many large irrigation systems which em-
`ploy a large number of widely separated valves to irri-
`gate an extended area. Examples of such installations
`include farms, golf courses and large real estate devel-
`opment projects, in which a large number of stations
`may be employed. These systems generally employ a
`master controller which communicates with the various
`station valve by means of wire or radio. The controller
`can typically be programmed to operate each of the
`valves at desired intervals and for desired periods of
`time.
`One of the principal problems in servicing such sys-
`tems is that the maintenance person must do a lot of
`walking back and forth between the various stations and
`the central controller to turn one station at a time on
`and off for observation and servicing. In large systems
`the great majority of service time is often spent just
`walking (or driving if a suitable vehicle is available),
`rather than actually servicing the irrigation hardware.
`This waste of time is both costly and inefficient.
`In an attempt to reduce the servicing time wasted in
`travelling back and forth between the controller and
`valves, a remote control device has been developed
`which permits the service person to exercise the con-
`troller and turn the valves on and off from a remote
`location, generally at or near a valve. The system is
`disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,650 to Neves et al.
`Initially, the central controller is programmed to cycle
`through a predetermined sequence of stations for nor-
`mal operation. Thus, each station is turned on and off in
`turn in the predetermined sequence, until the entire area
`has been watered. The service person is provided with
`a radio transmitter, which communicates with a corre-
`sponding receiver at the central controller. The trans-
`mitter can transmit on two different frequencies, one for
`advancing the controller through its station cycle to the
`desired station, and the other for turning the station on
`and off. To exercise any particular valve, the service
`person must first transmit at the station cycling fre-
`quency to advance the controller through its cycle, one
`station at a time. When the desired station has been
`reached, he then switches to the second frequency to
`turn it on.
`While the system disclosed in the Neves patent is an
`improvement over the prior technique of physically
`travelling back and forth between the master controller
`and the various stations, its mode of operation is limited
`and can be somewhat inefficient. For example, if the
`central controller is set to the tenth station in a thirty-six
`station irrigation system and it is desired to operate the
`ninth station, the controller must be cycled up from the
`tenth station and all the way through the thirty-four
`intervening stations until it reaches the desired ninth
`station. This can be a time-consuming procedure which
`mitigates some of the advantage that could otherwise be
`obtained with the system.
`
`2
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`In view of the above problems associated with the
`prior art, the object of the present invention is the pro-
`5 vision of a novel and improved remote controlled multi-
`station irrigation system which provides for greater
`flexibility and responsivity to commands transmitted
`from a remote location, which has a reliable means of
`communication with the remote location, and which
`10 provides for both local and remote programming of the
`irrigation controller.
`The principal components of the novel system in-
`clude a controller capable of governing a plurality of
`irrigation stations, a remote transmitter, a receiver
`15 which is adapted to receive signals from the transmitter
`and to produce corresponding input control signals for
`the controller, and a connecting means which delivers
`input signals from the receiver to the controller. The
`controller includes a plurality of individual station actu-
`20 ator circuits, a central processor, an input terminal
`which is connected to provide input signals to the cen-
`tral processor, and interface circuitry between the pro-
`cessor and the station actuator circuits. The processor is
`responsive to input signals delivered from the receiver
`25 and input terminal to provide actuation signals to se-
`lected station actuator circuits via the interface cir-
`cuitry. The remote transmitter is adapted to transmit
`discrete signals corresponding to respective station ac-
`tuator circuits, and includes means for selecting a par-
`30 ticular signal for transmission. In this way any station
`can be immediately selected to be turned on or off,
`without having to cycle through the entire set of sta-
`tions.
`In a preferred embodiment the receiver is removably
`35 mountable on the controller, and is supplied with power
`from the controller by a power interconnect means.
`The transmitter includes a keyboard and is adapted to
`transmit discrete radio signals in response to discrete
`keys being pushed. The transmitted signals are in an FM
`40 dual tone multi-frequency format, and are decoded by
`the receiver to a hexadecimal format for application to
`the controller. The controller can be operated in either
`a local or a remote mode, and includes a local keyboard
`which is connected to supply irrigation program infor-
`45 mation to the processor. In the local mode the station
`actuator circuits are operated in response to program
`information stored in the processor. Inserting a connec-
`tor from the receiver into the controller input terminal
`interrupts the local mode and sets the controller to its
`50 remote mode, in which the processor is responsive to
`input signals from the receiver. The receiver connect-
`ing means comprises a removable plug which can be
`inserted into the controller's input terminal. The input
`terminal has a common connection with the controller's
`55 local keyboard to the processor, enabling the processor
`to be programmed with input signals from the receiver
`when in the remote mode.
`In addition to the system's ability to immediately
`actuate any desired station from the remote mode, the
`50 processor includes means for remotely advancing the
`application of an actuating signal among the station
`actuator circuits. For this purpose the transmitter is
`adapted to transmit a discrete radio signal which causes
`the receiver
`to produce a corresponding processor
`55 input signal to activate the station actuator advancing
`means. Thus, the remote operator has the option of
`either selecting individual stations to operate, or of
`cycling the system through its various stations in se-
`
`Lindsay Corporation
`IPR2015-01039
`
`Exhibit 1006 - 259
`
`

`
`3
`quence. When the transmitter and receiver are used in
`conjunction with a conventional controller which does
`not have the station actuator circuitry contemplated by
`the invention, this circuitry can be added to the receiver
`and the controller bypassed during remote operation. 5
`The transmitter is also adapted to save power by auto-
`matically disconnecting most of the circuitry from a
`power supply except when it is transmitting a control
`signal.
`These and other objects of the invention will be ap- 10
`parent to those skilled in the art from the following
`detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken
`together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the irrigation control-
`ler with a remote signal receiver mounted on top;
`FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the transmitter;
`FIGS. 3a and 3b are schematic diagrams of the con-
`troller circuitry associated with its central processor;
`FIGS. 4a and 4b are schematic diagrams of the con-
`troller circuitry associated with the station actuator
`circuits;
`FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the transmitter circuitry;
`and
`FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the receiver circuitry.
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`FIG. 1 shows the exteriors of an irrigation controller 30
`2 and of a receiver 4 which is adapted to decode re-
`motely transmitted control signals and apply them to
`the controller in accordance with the invention. The
`controller includes a keyboard 6 with an array of keys
`for inputting local program information into the con- 35
`troller's processor, such as time, sequence of station
`operation, duration of irrigation for each station, irriga-
`tion cycles, station identification, etc. Controllers can
`be supplied with various station capacities; 12, 18, 24, 30
`or 36 stations per controller are typical. A first LED 40
`display 8 provides a visual indication of the program
`information being applied, while a second LED display
`10 has one light for each station, arrayed in a line. When
`any particular station is activated its corresponding
`light in display 10 goes on, providing a visual indication 45
`of the status of the irrigation system.
`Receiver 4 has a carrying handle 12 for ease of porta-
`bility, and can be mounted on top of the controller as
`shown. Clips, screws or the like can be provided to hold
`the receiver in place on the controller. An antenna 14 50
`receives a remote control signal, typically sent by a field
`service person at a distant irrigation station, and de-
`codes the received radio signal into a signal format that
`is recognizable by the controller's processor. This signal
`is delivered to the controller over a connecting cable 55
`16. A plug 18 is connected to the end of cable 16 and is
`inserted into a corresponding controller terminal re-
`ceptable 20, which in turn is connected to the processor.
`Cable 16 also provides a conduit for supplying electrical
`power from the controller 2 to the receiver 4. An on/off 60
`switch 22 is provided on the receiver.
`The remote transmitter 24 used with this system is
`shown in FIG. 2. It has a carrying handle 26 which
`mates with the receiver handle 12, permitting the re-
`ceiver and transmitter to be carried as a unit when not 65
`in use. A keyboard 28 on the front of the transmitter has
`numerical keys which permit any station to be identi-
`fied, ON and OFF keys for transmitting a signal to turn
`
`4,760,547
`
`a designated station on or off, AUTO UP (AU) and
`AUTO DOWN (AD) keys which cause the controller
`to cycle from one station.to the next, and a MASTER
`VALVE/PUMP (MV/P) key which permits the mas-
`ter valve/pump to be turned on or off. The transmitter
`also includes an antenna 30, an on/off switch 32, and a
`battery jack for recharging the battery.
`Transmitter 24 has a range of approximately one mile.
`To turn any irrigation station on, the number of that
`station is simply keyed in, followed by pressing the ON
`key. The station can then be turned off by pressing the
`OFF key. If it is desired to turn the same station on
`again, this is accomplished by simply pressing the ON
`key, without having to press the station's number again.
`When a new station is desired, the new station number
`is punched in and the ON key depressed. In some irriga-
`tion systems a master valve is provided to control the
`flow of water to all stations; the master valve must be on
`for any station to receive water. Although it is desig-
`nated by a separate key, the master valve is operated in
`a manner similar to all of the other stations. To actuate
`the master valve, the MV/P and ON keys are de-
`pressed.
`Another feature of the system is the provision of
`AUTO UP and AUTO DOWN keys. If it is desired to
`exercise the stations in sequence, a first station is ini-
`tially turned on. Alternately, the AUTO UP or DOWN
`sequence can be started with station number one by
`initially pressing AUTO UP or DOWN. Thereafter the
`processor is programmed to respond to pressing AUTO
`UP by turning off the current station without entering
`any station numbers or depressing the ON or OFF keys.
`Station cycling in the opposite direction is achieved by
`means of the AUTO DOWN key.
`Referring now to FIGS. 3a and 3b, a schematic dia-
`gram of a microprocessor located inside the controller
`is shown. Depending upon the number of stations and
`the amount of program information to be stored, the
`Intel 8049 or 8050 microprocessors are suitable; the
`8050 has twice the memory capacity of the 8049. The
`microprocessor, designated by reference numeral 36, is
`shown as being split into separate parts in FIGS. 3a and
`3b, but of course is an integral unit. Referring first to
`FIG. 3b, the keyboard 28 is shown with four output
`lines 38 providing an input to the microprocessor or
`keying in local program information. The program
`information is also delivered to display 8 to show the
`information going to the microprocessor. The circuitry
`between keyboard 28 and display 8 includes an inverter
`circuit 40 and an inverter/driver circuit 42. The output
`of inverter/driver 42 determines which of the eight
`digits of display 8 are to be actuated. The selection of
`numerals for the actuated digits is provided from the
`microprocessor over lines 44 and through an inverting
`buffer/driver chip 46 which boosts the signals from the
`microprocessor. The display system is generally con-
`ventional, and is capable of displaying the system status
`under both local and remote control.
`The input terminal 20 for the remote control signals is
`connected to two different ground references. One
`ground connection 48 serves as a reference for control
`signals from the receiver. The other ground connection
`50 provides a reference for the 24 volts AC controller
`power supply. This AC voltage is delivered over line 52
`to the receiver via cable 16.
`Input signals from the receiver are transmitted to the
`microprocessor via lines 54, which are connected in
`common with respective input lines 38 from the key-
`
`Lindsay Corporation
`IPR2015-01039
`
`Exhibit 1006 - 260
`
`

`
`4,760,547
`
`board to the same microprocessor ports. The micro-
`processor has two different modes of operation: a local
`mode for receiving information from the keyboard, and
`a remote mode for receiving information from the re-
`mote terminal. It is programmed to interpret the data 5
`from the two sources in different ways so that both
`remote and local control functions can be accomplished
`from the same input ports. For this purpose .the micro-
`processor has an interrupt port 56 which is actuated by
`the cable plug 18 being inserted into the controller's 10
`remote terminal 20. In the local mode an internal micro-
`processor voltage Vccp, which is regulated at a 5 volt
`DC level, is applied to interrupt port 56. This voltage
`signal is dissipated through resistor R1 when the remote
`plug is inserted into terminal 20, completing a circuit for 15
`VCCP. This effectively removes the signal from port 56
`and interrupts the local mode, setting the microproces-
`sor into its remote mode. The microprocessor can now
`be supplied with program information from the remote
`transmitter, or it can operate the irrigation valves in 20
`response to remote inputs.
`Interface circuitry is shown in FIG. 3a which inter-
`connects the microprocessor with the various station
`actuator circuits (shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b). Micro-
`processor output data designating a particular station to 25
`be turned on is furnished from port 58 over line 60 to an
`eight bit shift register 62. Another eight bit shift register
`64 is provided for serial storage of data with register 62,
`the two registers functioning in effect like a single six-
`teen bit register. Another signal from microprocessor 30
`port 66 clocks the data from pin 58 into the data shift
`registers 62 and 64. These registers hold the data identi-
`fying the station to be turned on until the data has stabi-
`lized. Upon receiving the initial clock signal from mi-
`croprocessor -port 66, the signals held in the various 35
`register ports ripple and require a finite amount of time
`to stabilize. Once a predetermined period of time has
`expired and the data in registers 62 and 64 has stabilized,
`the microprocessor produces a low output at port 68.
`This signal is fed through an inverter 70 and then along 40
`line 71 to provide an ENABLE signal for the various
`station actuator circuits.
`Each shift register 62 and 64 has eight outputs, each
`of the outputs corresponding to a particular station
`(fifteen irrigation stations and one master valve/pump). 45
`Each output from the shift registers 62, 64 is delivered
`as one input to a respective AND gate 72, the various
`AND gates being grouped in banks of four with each
`bank 74 acting as a buffer/driver. The output of each
`AND gate 72 provides an actuating signal for a respec- 50
`tive station actuator circuit. For example, the leftmost
`bank 74 includes four AND gates, the outputs of which
`are connected to the actuator circuits for the master
`valve and station valves V1-V3, while the outputs of
`the four AND gates in the right-hand bank are con- 55
`nected
`to the actuator circuits for station valves
`V12-V15,
`respectively. Thus,
`the microprocessor
`under remote control delivers a station identifying sig-
`nal to line 60 for the particular station or stations to be
`actuated, and a corresponding signal is produced at the 60
`output of the appropriate AND gate 72 once the data in
`shift registers 62, 64 has stabilized sufficiently and an
`ENABLE signal is received from the microprocessor
`over line 71.
`A conventional microprocessor clock is provided by 65
`a 6MHz oscillator 76. The microprocessor is held on
`when a POWER UP command is given by means of a
`capacitor C1 which is connected to an inverted RESET
`
`port 78; capacitor C1 charges in response to a POWER
`UP command to turn the microprocessor on and hold it
`on.
`Microprocessor ports 80 are connected to adjustable
`circuitry which sets the controller for either five, seven,
`eleven or fifteen stations (excluding the master valve).
`This feature is important in connection with the AUTO
`UP and AUTO DOWN control capabilities associated
`with the remote transmitter. Upon receiving an AUTO
`UP signal, the microprocessor turns off the currently
`active station and turns on the next station by an appro-
`priate change in the signal at port 66. If the micro-
`processor is set for seven stations, for example, it will
`return to station 1 when AUTO UP is received during
`operation of station 7. Conversely, if AUTO DOWN is
`received during operation of station 1, the microproces-
`sor will shift to the uppermost station for which it is set.
`The controller display 10 which indicates the station
`that is currently active is controlled by circuitry which
`includes a pair of eight bit shift registers 82. The individ-
`ual shift register outputs are connected through respec-
`tive current limiting resistors 84 to LEDs 86 which
`provide pinpoint light sources for the display. A clock
`signal for the display shift registers is provided from
`microprocessor port 88. In addition to lighting when a
`station is operating in the remote mode, LEDs 86 also
`indicate which stations are being programmed during
`the initial local programming sequence.
`Referring now to FIG. 4a, the power supply for the
`controller and part of the station actuator circuitry is
`shown. The power supply, which is conventional, com-
`prises the circuitry above dashed line 90. A standard
`115 volt AC power input is stepped down to a 24 volt
`AC level suitable for the controller by transformer 92.
`The output of transformer 92 is connected to be shunted
`by a rain switch 94 operated from the front panel of the
`controller. The rain switch is paralleled by an RC arc
`suppression circuit 96. A second transformer 98 steps
`the 24 volts AC down to 12 volts AC, with a transient
`protector 100 connected across the transformer input to
`guard against AC spikes. A full-wave bridge rectifier
`102 is connected to the transformer output and pro-
`duces a 10 volt DC signal which is applied to voltage
`regulators 104 and 106, yielding regulated 5 volt DC
`voltages Vcc and VCCp, respectively. Regulator 106
`has a nominally 9 volt backup supply battery 108 which
`assures that VCCp is retained when AC power is lost.
`Vccpprovides DC power to the microprocessor and to
`shift registers 62 and 64, while DC power is provided to
`the remainder of the controller circuitry from Vcc.
`In the illustrated controller with sixteen stations,
`sixteen identical actuator circuits are provided. Details
`of the first actuator circuit, for the master valve (MV),
`are shown in FIG. 4a. When an MV actuating signal is
`produced by the corresponding AND gate 72 in the
`controller
`interface circuitry, the signal is applied
`through a resistor R2 to the gate of a triac switch 110.
`The triac switch is connected to a terminal strip 112 and
`thereby to a lengthy lead line 114 to the master valve
`actuating coil 116. Gating the triac 110 in response to an
`MV actuating signal completes a circuit for MV coil
`116 and causes the master valve to open. An RC snub-
`ber network 118 is provided in parallel to triac 110 to
`ensure that the triac turns on and off properly. Tran-
`sient lightening protectors 120 and 122 are preferably
`provided at appropriate locations in the circuitry.
`An identical actuating circuit is provided for the first
`irrigation valve V1. In response to a V1 actuating sig-
`
`Lindsay Corporation
`IPR2015-01039
`
`Exhibit 1006 - 261
`
`

`
`4.760.547
`
`,
`
`nal, the actuating circuit (left blank in FIG. 4a) closes a
`circuit for the V1 coil 124, causing V1 to open. The
`actuating circuits for the remaining valves are indicated
`in FIG. 4b.
`Turning now to the transmitter/receiver system 5
`which provides remote control over the controller,
`transmitter 24 nd receiver 4 comprise a general purpose
`frequency modulated pair capable of transmitting and
`receiving sixteen discrete signals encoded in a dual tone
`multi-frequency (DTMF) format. Fifteen of the signals 10
`are active as decoded by the receiver, while the receiv-
`er's sixteenth code is considered inactive and used to
`indicate no transmission. In the preferred embodiment,
`transmitter 24 is capable of transmitting sixteen discrete
`signals on a fundamental frequency of 154.57 or 154.60 15
`MHz (as set by the factory). The transmitted signals are
`decoded by receiver 4 into a hexadecimal data format
`suitable for the controller. The transmitter keys and
`their associated DTMF frequencies are as follows:
`
`KEY
`
`MV/P
`AUTO DOWN
`AUTO UP
`OFF
`ON
`0
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`NO KEY
`
`DTMF FREQUENCY
`
`852/1633
`770/1633
`697/1633
`941/1477
`941/1336
`941/1209
`852/1209
`852/1336
`852/1477
`770/1209
`770/1336
`770/1477
`697/1209
`697/1336
`697/1477
`941/1633
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`A block diagram of the transmitter is shown in FIG.
`5. The DTMF tones which control the individual sta-
`tion operations are generated by a tone generator chip
`126, which preferably is a Mostek 5087 or similar de- 40
`vice. The transmitter keyboard 28 is indexed by rows
`and columns, with each row and column providing an
`input to tone generator 126. The tone generator contin-
`uously strobes the keyboard to detect any keys that
`have been depressed. In response to operation of the 45
`keyboard, an output tone signal is produced on output
`line 128.
`Tone generator 126 receives power from a nominally
`12 volt battery 130 through the hand-operated switch
`32 described previously, and a zener diode 132 which 50
`reduces the battery voltage to a level suitable for the
`tone generator. The battery is also connected to provide
`power to the remainder of the transmitter circuitry via
`and FET switch 134. To conserve the battery, switch
`134 is normally open and is closed only in response to an 55
`output tone from tone generator 126. The tone genera-
`tor output line 128 is connected through a low pass filter
`136 to a voltage multiplier circuit 138, which steps up
`the voltage to a level sufficient to gate FET 134. Thus,
`the production of an output tone by tone generator 126 60
`results in FET 134 being turned on, completing a power
`supply circuit over line 140 between the battery and the
`remainder of the transmitter circuitry.
`The output of low pass filter 136 is also applied to a
`frequency modulator circuit 142, which modulates a 65
`154.6 MHz carrier signal produced by oscillator 144 in
`accordance with the generated DTMF tone. The resul-
`tant modulated signal is processed through a 154.6 MHz
`
`8
`band pass filter 146 and then amplified by a gain of
`approximately 23 dB in RF broadband amplifier 148.
`The signal is then brought up to a transmission power
`level by power amplifier/filter 150 and applied to the
`transmitter antenna 30.
`A block diagram of the circuitry employed by re-
`ceiver 4 is shown in FIG. 6. A remotely transmitted
`signal is received by antenna 14, stepped up by RF
`amplifier 152 and applied to a mixer circuit 154, where
`it is mixed with a suitable signal from oscillator 156 to
`enable the 154.6 MHz carrier signal to be stripped off in
`a conventional manner. An IF discriminator circuit 158
`strips off the carrier signal and produces an audio tone
`output over line 160. The latter signal is processed
`through a buffer amplifier circuit 162 and applied to a
`decoder circuit 164, which decodes the DTMF input
`signal to a hexadecimal output signal over four output
`lines 166. Decoder 164 can be implemented with a Sili-
`con Systems, Inc. (SSI) model 202 chip. The decoder
`output is processed through an optical isolator circuit
`168 which provides a secure ground, and then transmit-
`ted over cable 16 to the controller as discussed above.
`Cable 16 also includes a pair of power supply wires
`which bring a 24 volt AC signal to an internal receiver
`power supply 170, which in turn supplies power to the
`various receiver circuit elements (over connecting
`wires which are not shown in FIG. 6).
`The various components of the system described thus
`far are designed to be compatible with each other. For
`example, the controller includes a microprocessor 36
`which is programmed in its remote mode to respond to
`hexadecimal systems from the receiver. The system can
`also be adapted for use with conventional controllers
`which are not programmed in this manner. In this case
`actuation circuitry for the field wiring is provided in the
`receiver, and the controller is effectively bypassed dur-
`ing remote operation. This adaption is illustrated in
`dashed lines in FIG. 6, in which a set of switching cir-
`cuitry 172 for the various field wires is provided in a
`manner similar to the valve actuator circuits shown in
`FIGS. 4a and 4b. Instead of being sent to the controller,
`the hexadecimal input signals from decoder 164 are
`delivered over lines 174 to the receiver switching cir-
`cuitry 172. The switching circuitry has a separate out-
`put for each valve to be controlled, and responds to
`input signals from lines 174 to produce energizing sig-
`nals for the identified valves. The switching circuitry is
`provided with power from power supply 170 over lines
`176.
`A remote controlled multi-station irrigation system
`has thus been shown and described which is much eas-
`ier to operate and more convenient than previous sys-
`tems, and can be adapted for use with either specially
`designed controllers or conventional controllers. As
`numerous variations and alternate embodiments will
`occur to those skilled in the art, it is intended that the
`invention be limited only in terms of the appended
`claims.
`I claim:
`1. A remote controlled multi-station irrigation sys-
`tem, comprising:
`a controller comprising:
`(a) a plurality of individual station actuator circuits,
`(b) a central processor,
`(c) an input terminal means connected to provide
`input signals to the central processor, and
`
`Lindsay Corporation
`IPR2015-01039
`
`Exhibit 1006 - 262
`
`

`
`9
`(d) interface circuitry interfacing between the cen-
`tral processor and the station actuator circuits,
`the processor being responsive to input signals
`from the input terminal means to provide opera-
`tional control signals via the interface circuitry 5
`to selected actuator circuits,
`a remote portable transmitter adapted to broadcast
`selectable discrete wireless station identity signals
`corresponding to the respective station actuator
`circuits, together with an operation signal to initi- 10
`ate the actuation or deactuation of a selected sta-
`tion; the transmitter including means for manually
`selecting a particular station identification and op-
`erational signal for transmission,
`a receiver adapted to receive broadcast signals from 15
`the transmitter and to produce corresponding input
`signals for the central processor, the central pro-
`cessor responding to said input signals to provide
`an operational control signal corresponding to the
`received operational signal only to the actuator 20
`circuit for the selected station and
`means connecting the receiver with the controller's
`input terminal means for transmitting processor
`input signals from the receiver to the controller.
`2. The remote controlled irrigationn system of claim 25
`1, wherein the receiver is removably mountable on the
`controller.
`3. The remote controlled multi-station irrigation sys-
`tem of claim 1, wherein the controller includes
`an electrical power supply, and a power interconnect
`means connected to supply electric power from the
`controller to the receiver.
`4. The remote controlled irrigation system of claim 1,
`wherein the transmitter includes a keyboard and is 35
`adapted to transmit discrete radio signals in response to
`discrete keys being pushed.
`5. The remote controlled multi-station irrigation sys-
`tem of claim 1,
`wherein the remote transmitter is adapted to transmit 40
`discrete radio signals in an FM dual tone multi-fre-
`quency (DTMF) format.
`6. The remote controlled irrigation system of claim 5,
`wherein the receiver is adapted to decode received
`DTMF signals to a hexadecimal format for application 45
`to the controller.
`7. The remote controlled multi-station irrigation sys-
`tem of claim 1,
`wherein the controller includes a local keyboard
`connected to supply irrigation program informa- 50
`tio