Patent ID: 11856899
Assignee: REINKE MANUFACTURING CO., INC.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  E | IPC A  E

Claim 7:
8. A method for routing communications through an irrigation system comprising an irrigation conduit originating at a center pivot, supported by a plurality of towers, and terminating proximate to a final tower that is furthest from the center pivot, the method comprising:
outputting for display a user interface for showing a current status of a tower in the plurality of towers;
receiving, through the user interface, a control instruction for the tower;
outputting, from a first network switch located proximate to the center pivot, a message into a network cable connecting the first network switch to a second network switch located proximate to a first tower, the message including one or more parameters associated with the control instruction, wherein the message is addressed according to an internet protocol;
receiving the message at the second network switch;
determining, at the second network switch, that the message was received from the first network switch located at the center pivot;
determining, at the second network switch, that the message should be forwarded to a third network switch located on a tower between the first tower and the final tower that is furthest from the center pivot because the message was received from the center pivot;
communicating the message from the second network switch to the third network switch, wherein the third network switch learns a network address of a controller co-located on the same tower with the third network switch and forwards the one or more parameters destined for the controller to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control operations of the co-located tower in response to the one or more parameters received.