US3723827A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Selective and sequential control system
Assignee: Griswold Controls LLC
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Filing: 1972-02-11
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Granted: 1973-03-27
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Expires: 1992-02-11
Abstract
Abstract A known system for controlling a plurality of stations, such as irrigating sprinkler valves, over a conductor pair for either selective or sequential activation includes a solenoid as the device to be activated at each station and requires short interruptions in the operating voltage at a control point to effect sequential activation of the stations, but for selective activation this same system utilizes two different voltage levels with short interruptions, a lower voltage being required to bypass unwanted stations and higher voltage built up at a controlled rate being required for selective activation of a station. An improvement in the known system includes delay means in association with the solenoids at the stations for delaying the response of the solenoids thereby simplifying the equipment the control point by permitting the use of only one voltage level, while avoiding activation of unselected stations.
Inventors
- 👤 D Griswold
- 👤 Carty W Mc
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 15:57
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/04; G05B19/07; A; A01; A01G; A01G25/00; A01G25/16; A01G25/162; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A40/00; Y02A40/10; Y02A40/22; Y10; Y10S; Y10S239/00; Y10S239/15
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
The combination with a control system comprising: a master control station having means for generating signaling pulses; a plurality of substations connected serially to the master station over common circuitry and conditionable from a selectable state to a selected state to a non-selectable state in succession in the order of their serial relation to the master station in response to a succession of signaling pulses; and an electro-responsive device at each substation operable by energy supplied from the master control station over said common circuitry; of delay means associated with said electro-responsive device for precluding its operation in response to pulses failing to maintain the substation in its selected state for a predetermined interval.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
114 words
The combination with a control system comprising: a master control station having means for generating signaling pulses; a plurality of substations connected serially to the master station over common circuitry and conditionable from a selectable state to a selected state to a non-selectable state in succession in the order of their serial relation to the master station in response to a succession of signaling pulses; and an electro-responsive device at each substation operable by energy supplied from the master control station over said common circuitry; of delay means associated with said electro-responsive device for precluding its operation in response to pulses failing to maintain the substation in its selected state for a predetermined interval.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the delay means comprises resistive and capacitive components.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein the delay means comprises a capacitor connected in parallel with said electro-responsive device and a resistor in series with said paraLleled capacitor and electro-responsive device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
61 words
A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein the delay means comprises: a resistor; a capacitor connected to be charged through said resistor by a pulse received from the master control station by the substation; and a switch connected in series with the electro-responsive device and operable in response to accumulation of a charge on said capacitor to a predetermined level.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
A combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein the switch is a solid state device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
A combination in accordance with claim 5 in which the solid state switch is a silicon controlled rectifier.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
76 words
A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein the delay means comprises: a resistor; a capacitor connected to be charged through said resistor by a pulse received from the master control station by the substation; a threshold-operable device connected to said capacitor to be operable in response to accumulation of a charge on said capacitor to a predetermined level; and a switch connected in series with said electro-responsive device and operatively controlled by said threshold-operable device.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
A combination in accordance with claim 7 wherein the threshold operable device is a solid state device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
A combination in accordance with claim 8 wherein the threshold operable device is a breakdown diode.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A combination in accordance with claim 8 wherein the threshold operable device is a transistor biased beyond cut-off.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
A combination in accordance with claim 10 wherein potentials for both biasing and operating the transistor are supplied by the pulse received by the substation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
89 words
A combination in accordance with claim 7 wherein the threshold-operable device is a transistor having its base connected to said capacitor and has associated therewith: a potential divider connected to apply to the emitter of the transistor a biasing voltage derived from the pulse received from the master control station by the substation and including as an element of the potential divider means for contributing a controlled voltage component to render the delay in the operation of said transistor relatively independent of the voltage magnitude of the received pulse.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
A combination in accordance with claim 12 wherein the means for contributing the controlled voltage component is a solid state device developing across a junction therein a voltage drop substantially equaling the voltage drop developed across the emitter-base junction of said transistor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
183 words
In a selective remote control system: a master control station having means for generating pulses of equal length and steady-state conditions all at a predetermined fixed electrical magnitude; a plurality of substations; a two-conductor control circuit for transmission thereover of said pulses and steady-state conditions, said control circuit connecting said master control station to all of said substations with the substations arranged in tandem along said control circuit; an electro-responsive device at each substation; signal responsive means at each substation operative in response to a pulse from the master control station for preparing a path for operation of the electro-responsive device and for disconnecting all stations beyond it in the tandem array from the master station; means at each substation conditioned incident to operation of the signal responsive means thereat for precluding reoperation of said signal responsive means as long as pulses follow one another with predetermined intervening maximum intervals, whereby the signal responsive means at successive substations become operatively responsive to successive pulses; and time delay means associated with said electro-responsive device for enabling its operation in response only to steady-state conditions.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
183 words
In a selective remote control system: a master control station having means for generating pulses of equal length and steady-state conditions all at a predetermined fixed electrical magnitude; a plurality of substations; a two-conductor control circuit for transmission thereover of said pulses and steady-state conditions, said control circuit connecting said master control station to all of said substations with the substations arranged in tandem along said control circuit; an electro-responsive device at each substation; signal responsive means at each substation operative in response to a pulse from the master control station for preparing a path for operation of the electro-responsive device and for disconnecting all stations beyond it in the tandem array from the master station; means at each substation conditioned incident to operation of the signal responsive means thereat for precluding reoperation of said signal responsive means as long as pulses follow one another with predetermined intervening maximum intervals, whereby the signal responsive means at successive substations become operatively responsive to successive pulses; and time delay means associated with said electro-responsive device for enabling its operation in response only to steady-state conditions.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
A selective remote control system in accordance with claim 14 wherein the time delay means comprises only resistive And capacitive components.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
57 words
A selective remote control system in accordance with claim 14 wherein the time delay means comprises: resistive and capacitive means arranged for charging of the capacitive means through the resistive means; and solid state means responsive to the charging of the capacitive means for causing the admission of current from said two-wire circuit to said electro-responsive device.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
61 words
A selective remote control system in accordance with claim 14 wherein the time delay means comprises: resistive and capacitive means arranged for charging of the capacitive means; switch means for admitting operating current into said electro-responsive device from said two-wire circuit; and threshold means responsive to the charging of said capacitive means to a predetermined level for operating said switch means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
A selective remote control system in accordance with claim 17 wherein said switch means is a solid state device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
A selective remote control system in accordance with claim 17 wherein said threshold means is a solid state device.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having a functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: generating at the master station pulses of at least a predetermined duration and the same electrical magnitudes and transmitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; measuring the duration of a pulse received at each substation; and energizing the functional device in response to persistence of said measuring step longer than said predetermined duration.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having a functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: generating at the master station pulses of at least a predetermined duration and the same electrical magnitudes and transmitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; measuring the duration of a pulse received at each substation; and energizing the functional device in response to persistence of said measuring step longer than said predetermined duration.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
131 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having an electromagnetically operable functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: disconnecting all of the functional devices from the two conductor path; generating at the master station pulses of at least a predetermined duration and the same electrical magnitudes and transmitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; measuring the duration of a pulse received at each substation; and reconnecting the functional device to the two conductor path at each substation in response to persistence of said measuring step longer than said predetermined duration.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
131 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having an electromagnetically operable functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: disconnecting all of the functional devices from the two conductor path; generating at the master station pulses of at least a predetermined duration and the same electrical magnitudes and transmitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; measuring the duration of a pulse received at each substation; and reconnecting the functional device to the two conductor path at each substation in response to persistence of said measuring step longer than said predetermined duration.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having a functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: generating at the master station pulses of predetermined duration and pulses of longer duration all at the same electrical magnitude and transmitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; preliminarily conditioning each substation in response to a received pulse of said predetermined duration for selective actuation of its functional device; and selectively activating the functional device at a preliminarily conditioned substation in response to a pulse of said longer duration.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having a functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: generating at the master station pulses of predetermined duration and pulses of longer duration all at the same electrical magnitude and transmitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; preliminarily conditioning each substation in response to a received pulse of said predetermined duration for selective actuation of its functional device; and selectively activating the functional device at a preliminarily conditioned substation in response to a pulse of said longer duration.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
97 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having a functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: generating at the master station pulses of predetermined duration and the same electrical magnitudes and transMitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; energizing the functional device at a substation only in response to the steady state prolongation of the pulse.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
97 words
A method of selectively controlling from a master station a plurality of substations each having a functional device to be operated over a two-conductor path with which the substations are associated in tandem relation which comprises: generating at the master station pulses of predetermined duration and the same electrical magnitudes and transMitting the pulses over the two-conductor path to condition the substations successively in the order of their positions along the two-conductor path for operation of their functional devices; energizing the functional device at a substation only in response to the steady state prolongation of the pulse.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-26 | 1976-09-25 | 1977-03-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-26 | 1980-09-25 | 1981-03-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-26 | 1984-09-25 | 1985-03-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |