Landscape irrigation management with automated water budget & seasonal adjust, and automated implementation of watering restrictions

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for water conservation with landscape irrigation controllers, plug-in and add-on devices, and centralized systems. In embodiments of the invention, a water budget percentage is determined by comparing current local geo-environmental data with stored local geo-environmental data, and the preliminary irrigation schedule or station run times are automatically modified based upon that water budget percentage. Embodiments of the present invention also provide for automation of mandated landscape watering restrictions alone, or in various combinations with water budgeting methods and apparatus.

1 - 260 . (canceled) 
     
     
         261 . A method of determining a current water budget percentage to be used in irrigation comprising the steps of:
 a. providing historical geo-environmental data for a location;   b. providing current environmental data for said location;   c. comparing said current environmental data to said historical geo-environmental data to determine said current water budget percentage without calculating current reference evapotranspiration.   
     
     
         262 . The method of  claim 261  wherein said historical geo-environmental data is selected from the group of evapotranspiration data, solar radiation data, precipitation data, ambient temperature data, wind data, relative humidity data, soil temperature data, soil moisture data or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         263 . The method of  claim 261  wherein said current environmental data is selected from the group of ambient temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, wind, relative humidity, soil moisture, soil temperature, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         264 . The method of  claim 261  wherein said water budget percentage is determined according to one of the group of: within a controller, in a plug-in module, in an add-on module, and from a central location. 
     
     
         265 . The method of  claim 261  wherein said current reference evapotranspiration data is calculated using one of the group of the Pennman-Monteith equation and the Hargreaves equation. 
     
     
         266 . The method of  claim 261  comprising the additional step of automatically modifying at least one irrigation schedule of a controller using said percentage. 
     
     
         267 . The method of  claim 261  comprising the additional step of automatically modifying at least one station run time of a controller using said percentage. 
     
     
         268 . The method of  claim 261  wherein said current environmental data is received from a temperature sensor. 
     
     
         269 . An irrigation control unit comprising:
 a. a microprocessor;   b. at least one environmental sensor in communication with said microprocessor; and   c. programming in said microprocessor to determine a water budget percentage without calculating current reference evapotranspiration by comparing data from said at least one environmental sensor to stored historical environmental data within said microprocessor.   
     
     
         270 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  wherein said environmental sensor is selected from the group of ambient temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, solar radiation, wind, relative humidity, precipitation, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         271 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  wherein said stored historical environmental data is selected from the group of ambient temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, wind, relative humidity, soil moisture, soil temperature, evapotranspiration, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         272 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  further comprising a controller. 
     
     
         273 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  further comprising a plug-in module in communication with a compatible controller. 
     
     
         274 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  further comprising a module attached to at least one output of an irrigation controller. 
     
     
         275 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  further comprising a central irrigation system. 
     
     
         276 . The irrigation control unit of  claim 269  wherein power is supplied by one of the group of AC, DC, battery, solar, and ambient light. 
     
     
         277 . A method of automating a water budget feature of a controller comprising the step of periodically determining a water budget percentage to be used by said controller by comparing current environmental data for a location to stored historic geo-environmental data for said location without calculating current reference evapotranspiration data. 
     
     
         278 . The method of  claim 277  wherein said current environmental data is selected from the group of ambient temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, wind, soil moisture, soil temperature, precipitation, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         279 . The method of  277  wherein said historic geo-environmental data is selected from the group of evapotranspiration, ambient temperature, solar radiation, wind, precipitation, relative humidity, soil moisture, soil temperature, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         280 . The method of  claim 277  wherein said water budget determination is performed according to one of the group of: in said controller, in a module in communication with said controller, from a central location and communicated to said controller, and in said controller wherein said controller is self-contained and ground mounted.