Sprinkler control system

Claim 1

A sprinkler system comprising a central station having an electric energizing signal source, a plurality of water valves, each of said valves having a passageway with an inlet and an outlet, a valve closer movable between open and closed positions in said passageway, piston means coupled to said valve closer to operate said closer, means defining a first cavity facing one side of said piston, means forming a normally blocked first passage connected to said cavity to carry pressured water thereto to open said valve closer, a start solenoid energizable to unblock said first passage, means forming a normally blocked drain passage connected to said cavity to drain off water therefrom to permit said valve closer to close, and a stop solenoid energizable to open said drain passage; a plurality of conductors at said central station, timing switch means at said central station to apply short signal pulses from said signal source at timed intervals sequentially to different ones of said conductors, a plurality of switch members manually settable into contact with different ones of said conductors, means comprising a distributor at said central station arranged to successively electrically connect the solenoids of different valves to said switch members for successively conditioning the said start and stop solenoids of said different ones of said valves to be energized by said signal pulses whereby operation of said timing switch means sends sequential pulses, through said switch members, to said start and stop solenoids conditioned by said distributor.