Irrigation control systems and user interfaces
Systems, user interfaces, and methods related to irrigation control systems are provided herein. In some embodiments, an irrigation control system includes an irrigation management application which, when executed by an electronic device, causes a user interface to be displayed to a user. The user interface includes features that permit a user to do one or more of configure, monitor, program, control, adjust various components and/or operations of the irrigation management system.
1 . An irrigation management system comprising:
a control circuit;
a memory; and
an irrigation management application for use in monitoring and/or controlling irrigation of at least one irrigation area including a plurality of irrigation stations, wherein each irrigation station of the plurality of irrigation stations comprises a single independently-controllable irrigation valve fluidly connected to at least one sprinkler device, wherein irrigation is caused via the at least one sprinkler device when the single independently-controllable irrigation valve is opened, wherein the irrigation management application is stored in the memory, and wherein when executed by the control circuit, the irrigation management application is configured to:
cause a user interface to be displayed on a display to a user, the user interface including an interactive map of a geographic region that includes the at least one irrigation area, the plurality of irrigation stations displayed at different locations on the interactive map, and a multi-station selector icon displayed on a portion of the interactive map; and
cause, responsive to a user selection of the multi-station selector icon, the user interface to:
display an interactive multi-station selector control menu including a plurality of control selections and overlaid on a portion of the interactive map, where the plurality of control selections comprises a turn on control and a turn off control;
allow the user to individually click or tap on each one of two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations displayed at the different locations on the interactive map to create a group of stations including the two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations, wherein the user clicking or tapping on each individual one of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations represents a selection by the user of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations for inclusion in the group of stations, wherein the user can interact with the interactive map to at least move, zoom in, and zoom out a displayable portion of the interactive map and can select any of the plurality of irrigation stations regardless of a location on the interactive map, an association of a given station with a particular area of the interactive map, and/or a station type;
display a selected stations icon indicating, by displaying a numerical value, how many of the plurality of irrigation stations on the interactive map that the user has individually clicked on or tapped on, wherein the numerical value increases by one each time the user individually clicks or taps on a single irrigation station, wherein the numerical value indicates a total number of stations in the group of stations;
allow the user to make a control selection of the plurality of control selections; and
cause, responsive to the control selection, a selected control selection to be applied to each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations,
wherein, when the turn on control is selected, a respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations is caused to open to cause irrigation from a respective at least one sprinkler device fluidly connected to the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations, and
wherein, when the turn off control is selected, the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations is caused to close to prevent irrigation from the respective at least one sprinkler device fluidly connected to the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to a selection by the user of the control selection within the interactive control menu, irrigation by the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations is activated, deactivated, paused, or resumed.
3 . The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the multi-station selector control menu comprises a plurality of user-selectable polygons on the map, each of the user-selectable polygons defining a portion of the at least one irrigation area; and
wherein a selection by the user of a given polygon comprises a selection by the user of the irrigation stations associated with the given polygon.
4 . The system of claim 3 wherein each of the plurality of user-selectable polygons on the map correspond to a given portion of the at least one irrigation area.
5 . The system of claim 4 wherein each given portion of the at least one irrigation area corresponds to plant life to be irrigated being of a similar type, or to plant-free portions of the at least one irrigation area being of a similar type.
6 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the interactive control menu includes an edit control selection configured to permit the user to edit a size or shape of the given polygon.
7 . The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the user interface is configured, in response to an interaction by the user with the edit control selection, to display a plurality of points defining a perimeter of the given polygon; and
wherein the user interface permits the user to edit an overall size or shape of the given polygon by moving one or more of the plurality of points in one or more directions.
8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the user interface is configured, in response to an interaction by the user with the edit control selection, to activate a drawing tool that permits the user to control movement of the drawing tool to draw a custom-shape polygon shape defining a portion of the at least one irrigation area and representing a user selection of the irrigation stations associated with the custom-shape polygon shape.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-station selector control menu is configured to allow the user to add a generic-shape polygon to the map user interface and edit a shape of the generic-shape polygon to define a custom-shape polygon defining a portion of the at least one irrigation area and representing a user selection of the irrigation stations associated with the custom-shape polygon.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the generic-shape polygon has one of a square shape, a rectangle shape, a circle shape, an oval shape, a triangle shape, and a trapezoid shape.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-station selector control menu is configured to allow the user to select the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations individually from the map.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the multi-station selector control menu is configured to allow the user to unselect a previously selected irrigation stations individually from the map.
13 . The system of claim 11 ,
wherein when executed by the control circuit, the irrigation management application is configured to cause the user interface to display a plurality of station icons, each of the station icons corresponding to one of the irrigation stations at corresponding locations of the map; and
wherein the multi-station selector control menu is configured to allow the user to select the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations individually from the map by selecting individual ones of the station icons.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the user interface permits the user to select one or more of the station icons displayed on the map by clicking or tapping on the one or more of the station icons.
15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein, the user interface is configured, in response to a selection by the user of the one or more of the station icons displayed on the map, to generate a graphical element associated with the one or more of the station icons selected by the user to indicate that the one or more of the station icons have been selected by the user.
16 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the irrigation management application is further configured to cause the user interface, responsive to a selection by the user of the multi-station selector control menu, to display the interactive control menu overlaid on the portion of the map to allow the control selection to be applied to the irrigation stations corresponding to the one or more station icons selected by the user.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the interactive control menu indicates a total number of the station icons selected by the user.
18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the interactive control menu includes an interactive control selection icon configured to activate irrigation by the one or more of the irrigation stations corresponding to the one or more station icons selected by the user.
19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the irrigation management application is further configured to cause the user interface, responsive to a selection by the user of the interactive control selection icon, to generate a run duration sub-menu, the run duration sub-menu configured to permit the user to set an irrigation run duration of the one or more of the irrigation stations corresponding to the one or more station icons selected by the user.
20 . The system of claim 14 , wherein each of the station icons is associated with a user-visible identifier that identifies a respective one of the station icons, wherein the user-visible identifier of a station icon indicates at least one of:
a location type where an irrigation station associated with a given station icon is located; and
a sequential number assigned to the given station icon within the location type.
21 . The irrigation management system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-station selector control menu comprises an interactive tool icon which activates the multi-station selector control menu.
22 . The irrigation management system of claim 1 wherein the irrigation management application is configured to cause, responsive to the selection by the user of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations, the user interface to display the interactive control menu overlaid on the portion of the map while still displaying the portion of the map to allow the control selection to be applied to each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations.
23 . The irrigation management system of claim 1 , wherein the irrigation management application is configured to cause the user interface to display the multi-station selector control menu to allow the user to select a group of the two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations associated with the at least one irrigation area.
24 . The irrigation management system of claim 23 , wherein the irrigation management application is configured to cause, responsive to the selection by the user of the group of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations, the user interface to display the interactive control menu overlaid on the portion of the map to allow a single control selection to be applied to each of the group of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations.
25 . The irrigation management system of claim 1 , wherein another control selection of the plurality of control selections causes each single independently-controllable irrigation valve to close, if open, to stop irrigation from each of the at least one sprinkler device of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations.
26 . A method for managing irrigation comprising:
by a control circuit executing an irrigation management application stored in a memory,
causing a user interface to be displayed on a display to a user, the user interface including an interactive map of a geographic region that includes at least one irrigation area, a plurality of irrigation stations displayed at different locations on the interactive map, and a multi-station selector icon displayed on a portion of the interactive map, wherein the irrigation management application is for use in monitoring and/or controlling irrigation of the at least one irrigation area including the plurality of irrigation stations, wherein each irrigation station of the plurality of irrigation stations comprises a single independently-controllable irrigation valve fluidly connected to at least one sprinkler device, wherein irrigation is caused via the at least one sprinkler device when the single independently-controllable irrigation valve is opened; and
causing, responsive to a user selection of the multi-station selector icon, the user interface to:
display an interactive multi-station selector control menu including a plurality of control selections and overlaid on a portion of the interactive map, wherein the plurality of control selections comprises a turn on control and a turn off control;
allow the user to individually click or tap on each one of two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations displayed at the different locations on the interactive map to create a group of stations including the two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations, wherein the user clicking or tapping on each individual one of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations represents a selection by the user of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations for inclusion in the group of stations, wherein the user can interact with the interactive map to at least move, zoom in, and zoom out a displayable portion of the interactive map and can select any of the plurality of irrigation stations regardless of a location on the interactive map, an association of a given station with a particular area of the interactive map, and/or a station type;
display a selected stations icon indicating, by displaying a numerical value, how many of the plurality of irrigation stations on the interactive map the user has individually clicked on or tapped on, wherein the numerical value increases by one each time the user individually clicks or taps on a single irrigation station, wherein the numerical value indicates a total number of stations in the group of stations; and
allow the user to make a control selection of the plurality of control selections;
cause, responsive to the control selection, a selected control selection to be applied to each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations;
when the turn on control is selected, causing a respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations to open to cause irrigation from a respective at least one sprinkler device fluidly connected to the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations, and
when the turn off control is selected, causing the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations to close to prevent irrigation from the respective at least one sprinkler device fluidly connected to the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations.
27 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a control circuit, cause the control circuit to:
cause, by an irrigation management application, a user interface to be displayed on a display to a user, the user interface including an interactive map of a geographic region that includes at least one irrigation area, a plurality of irrigation stations displayed at different locations on the interactive map, and a multi-station selector icon displayed on a portion of the interactive map, wherein the irrigation management application is for use in monitoring and/or controlling irrigation of the at least one irrigation area including the plurality of irrigation stations, wherein each irrigation station of the plurality of irrigation stations comprises a single independently-controllable irrigation valve fluidly connected to at least one sprinkler device, wherein irrigation is caused via the at least one sprinkler device when the single independently-controllable irrigation valve is opened; and
cause, responsive to a user selection of the multi-station selector icon, the user interface to:
display an interactive multi-station selector control menu including a plurality of control selections and overlaid on a portion of the interactive map, wherein the plurality of control selections comprises a turn on control and a turn off control;
allow the user to individually click or tap on each one of two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations displayed at the different locations on the interactive map to create a group of stations including the two or more of the plurality of irrigation stations, wherein the user clicking or tapping on each individual one of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations represents a selection by the user of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations for inclusion in the group of stations, wherein the user can interact with the interactive map to at least move, zoom in, and zoom out a displayable portion of the interactive map and can select any of the plurality of irrigation stations regardless of a location on the interactive map, an association of a given station with a particular area of the interactive map, and/or a station type;
display a selected stations icon indicating, by displaying a numerical value, how many of the plurality of irrigation stations on the interactive map the user has individually clicked on or tapped on, wherein the numerical value increases by one each time the user individually clicks or taps on a single irrigation station, wherein the numerical value indicates a total number of stations in the group of stations; and
allow the user to make a control selection of the plurality of control selections;
cause, responsive to the control selection, a selected control selection to be applied to each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations;
when the turn on control is selected, causing a respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations to open to cause irrigation from a respective at least one sprinkler device fluidly connected to the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations, and
when the turn off control is selected, causing the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations to close to prevent irrigation from the respective at least one sprinkler device fluidly connected to the respective single independently-controllable irrigation valve of each of the two or more of the plurality of the irrigation stations.