Patent ID: 8560139
Filing Date: 2013-10-15
Classification: G05D

Abstract:
1. An automatic flow control apparatus comprising: a solar cell module that converts received light energy into electricity, and that provides a received light signal corresponding to the received light energy; an energy storage module for storing and supplying electricity; a charging circuit that is coupled to said solar cell module and said energy storage module and that charges said energy storage module using the electricity from said solar cell module; a regulating module including a driving circuit and a regulator valve, said driving circuit being responsive to a control signal to generate a drive signal, and said regulator valve being coupled to said driving circuit and responsive to the drive signal for regulating fluid flow; a control module including a rainfall detection module coupled to said input interface and configured to generate a detected rainfall signal receivable by said input interface; a housing that includes a top surface formed with a recess for storing precipitation; and a pair of conductors extending vertically in said recess and being configured to have a resistance therebetween that varies according to a fluid level in said recess, wherein the detected rainfall signal corresponds to the resistance, wherein said controller is configured to operate in a normal mode to determine based on at least the measured data set in said memory whether to output the control signal through said output interface to said regulating module for controlling regulation of the fluid flow b said regulator valve, wherein said analog-to-digital converter is further controlled by said controller to convert the rainfall detection signal into measured rainfall data, and wherein the measured data set stored in said memory further includes the measured rainfall data obtained during a second predetermined time period.