A flow control device including: a housing including a flow passage extending from an inlet, through the housing to an outlet; a hollow tube within the housing defining a tube passage included in the flow passage of the housing; a valve seat in the housing and disposed between the inlet to the flow passage and an inlet to the tube passage of the hollow tube; and a drain check shuttle within the housing and configured to move reciprocally with respect to both the housing and the hollow tube, wherein the drain check shuttle has: a first position within the housing at which the drain check shuttle abuts the valve seat, and closes a gap between the valve seat and the inlet to the hollow tube; and a second position displaced from the valve seat and which opens the gap.

A flow control device including: a housing including a flow passage extending from an inlet, through the housing to an outlet; a hollow tube within the housing defining a tube passage included in the flow passage of the housing; a valve seat in the housing and disposed between the inlet to the flow passage and an inlet to the tube passage of the hollow tube; and a drain check shuttle within the housing and configured to move reciprocally with respect to both the housing and the hollow tube, wherein the drain check shuttle has: a first position within the housing at which the drain check shuttle abuts the valve seat, and closes a gap between the valve seat and the inlet to the hollow tube; and a second position displaced from the valve seat and which opens the gap.

A computerized crop growing management system (CMS) for a farm includes a main controller with an associated user interface (UI). The farm has a plurality of fields on each of which a different crop may be raised, each crop having different irrigation and nutrient requirements. Each field is fed by a main irrigation line connected to a network of irrigation pipes having controller-based valves. Sensors monitor growing conditions in each field. The UI is configured to permit an operator to monitor growing conditions, and control the supply of irrigation liquid and nutrients to each field and/or each crop. The UI allows the operator to specify and create irrigation schedules, nutrient recipes and flow rates, as well as warn an operator of technical and crop problems.

A liquid pressure regulator includes a housing having an inlet portion and an outlet portion, a tubular valve member slidingly accommodated inside the housing and having an inlet edge, a valve body fixed inside the housing and a seat that interacts with the inlet edge to form a port having a variable width, and an elastic annular diaphragm for connecting the valve member to the housing and forming a regulating chamber. The valve member has an outlet edge configured to interact with the outlet portion of the housing and form an annular passage communicating with the regulating chamber. The width of the annular passage decreases as the inlet edge of the valve member moves toward the seat. The outlet portion has a wider region with a transverse surface defining the bottom of the regulating chamber, which is inclined toward the center to facilitate the outer discharge of soil, sand and impurities.

A remote controlled system for precision tracking of irrigation equipment with GPS and ultra-wideband communication protocol is designed to track irrigation equipment, including a solenoid valve, through use of a global positioning system (GPS), and an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) communication protocol with a remote control device. The system provides a remote control device to track the location of the solenoid valve, or other irrigation equipment. The GPS tracks the approximate location of the solenoid valve, and the UWB communication protocol provides a more precise tracking capability, locating the exact location of solenoid valves, both underground, and above ground. The remote control device and an agricultural clock, are both in signal communication with the GPS and Ultra-Wideband communication protocols. Further, the agricultural clock utilizes a mesh network, i.e., Z-wave to transmit commands that control the timing and amount of water discharged through the solenoid valve across multiple agricultural zones.

An irrigation controller includes an electrical circuit suitable for receiving incoming power of either AC or DC voltage and operating valves of either AC or DC type. The electrical circuit has a power supply module, a driver and a microcontroller. The power supply module is arranged to convert the incoming power to DC voltage that is supplied into the electrical circuit. The driver includes outgoing ports that are connected to an irrigation valve coupled to the irrigation controller, and the microcontroller is arranged to control activation of the valve via the driver.

An irrigation controller includes an electrical circuit suitable for receiving incoming power of either AC or DC voltage and operating valves of either AC or DC type. The electrical circuit has a power supply module, a driver and a microcontroller. The power supply module is arranged to convert the incoming power to DC voltage that is supplied into the electrical circuit. The driver includes outgoing ports that are connected to an irrigation valve coupled to the irrigation controller, and the microcontroller is arranged to control activation of the valve via the driver.

A sprinkler includes a nozzle-swinging apparatus including a movable base and a current-switching unit. The movable base includes a partition between two chambers that contain a leafed wheel and a gear train. The partition includes two channels between the chambers. The current-switching unit includes two tabs, two connectors, a valve and a switch. The tabs extend toward the connectors in one of the chambers. The valve includes two pivots each of which extends in a gap between one of the tabs and one of the connectors. The switch includes a valve-moving element for grabbing the valve and a lever including a first section extending out of the movable base and a second section extending in the movable base. The first section of the lever is operable to pivot the second section of the lever so that the valve-moving element causes the valve to close one of the channels.

A rotary sprinkler comprises a rotatable irrigation head with one or more nozzles, associated with liquid feed lines, which extend thereto from a sprinkler base housing, and further comprises a static biasing control base located below the irrigation head, e.g. between the sprinkler base housing and the irrigation head. The sprinkler can comprise a flow regulator arm, whose movement, at least indirectly, results in reducing the cross-sectional area of liquid flow towards at least one of the nozzles, and a flow deflector arm configured to interfere with a liquid jet discharged from at least one of the nozzles in order to affect the angle and range of the liquid jet. The static biasing control base can comprise an array of biasing elements, which can bias a cam follower configured to rotate together with the irrigation head and transfer its rotational displacement to the flow regulator arm and flow deflector arm, e.g. through respective gear elements. The gear elements can be adjusted to control a ratio between the extent of deflection of the two arms due to the rotation of the cam follower. The rotatable irrigation head can comprise a cover for preventing exposure of the dynamic control elements to the exterior of the sprinkler.

A rotary sprinkler comprises a rotatable irrigation head with one or more nozzles, associated with liquid feed lines, which extend thereto from a sprinkler base housing, and further comprises a static biasing control base located below the irrigation head, e.g. between the sprinkler base housing and the irrigation head. The sprinkler can comprise a flow regulator arm, whose movement, at least indirectly, results in reducing the cross-sectional area of liquid flow towards at least one of the nozzles, and a flow deflector arm configured to interfere with a liquid jet discharged from at least one of the nozzles in order to affect the angle and range of the liquid jet. The static biasing control base can comprise an array of biasing elements, which can bias a cam follower configured to rotate together with the irrigation head and transfer its rotational displacement to the flow regulator arm and flow deflector arm, e.g. through respective gear elements. The gear elements can be adjusted to control a ratio between the extent of deflection of the two arms due to the rotation of the cam follower. The rotatable irrigation head can comprise a cover for preventing exposure of the dynamic control elements to the exterior of the sprinkler.