I am currently a freshmen enrolled at Drexel University. I am in the 5 year, 3 co-op cycle on track to graduate with a bachelors in mechanical engineering.
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Contact:
Section B Team 3
final code testing
Code with Virtual Water Pump
Final Circuit Design
Final Report
Introduction
Our watering system will be most ideal for a flat-level outdoor garden. The tuberose plant originates from Mexico/Central America; therefore, the plant grows through the summer and fall, thriving in warm weather and high humidity. Our system will work best in locations where the average temperature remains about 21°C - 24°C (70°F-75°F). Humidity must also be between 45%-65%. If temperature and humidity match the average set for the system, the system will dispense about 66 fluid ounces of water. The tuberose plant requires about 1.5 inches of water per week. 1.5 inches of rainfall is equal to 4.7 gallons of water per square yard. Through dimensional analysis, we determined that an estimated 66 fluid ounces of water is needed per sunny week. Our system will run 10 times every day. The sensors will be used to determine when it is appropriate to dispense the water.
Problem Overview
Our gardening product company is requested an automated garden watering system. One of the biggest reasons for the demand of this system is to promote water conservation. This system will only activate when needed and limited to the proper times per day. Our job is to understand and interpret the customer’s needs, and research the parameters needed for optimal plant growth, such as what the best soil moisture needs to be or how humid the environment for the plant should be. We will also have to design a functioning product for the field. This product is targeted at plant nurseries and homeowners trying to grow plants, fruits, and vegetables. We are responsible for designing physical and digital circuits that will measure each parameter and implement the three sensors. The algorithm we design will be in Python and will be executed through a microcontroller. In the future it is possible that the device needs to be serviced and might need repairs. The final product will result in expansion of the device across suburbia and more.
Existing Solutions
Current existing solutions do not consider environmental factors to water the plants. Instead, such devices use a timing bases approach which waters the plant at a desired time picked by the plant owner. This is not ideal because plants require mindful care and consideration. Depending on the specific plant, plants do not need to be watered when there is rainy day and other plants require more water if the air or soil is dryer than usual. This causes improper watering and may lead to plant death. Another similar solution we have found has enough space to allow for a one-plant occupancy. With our system, it can be expanded to provide water for a garden full of plants.
Project Objectives
This project will help to interpret user needs and relate to algorithm design using Python. It will improve the skill of interpreting specification sheets of the system components. Moreover, this project is a great opportunity to practice utilizing sensors for environmental monitoring and implementing algorithms to a microcontroller. Since this project is being implemented into solving real life problems, we must research and have a basic understanding of gardening, specifically the tuberose plant. Our main goal for this project is to create a simple user-friendly system for the customer to implement.
Expertise
Patel is working on mechanical design and the product prototype. He also oversees the other sections of the group.
Nguyen is lead programmer and he is responsible for working with Patel, to test and verify that the code works properly.
Quan is lead researcher and works with Nguyen to code when needed. Quan is responsible for gathering all necessary information about the tuberose plant and communicating with Nguyen to create a program objective.
Ding is website manager and video editor. Ding oversees keeping the website updated, as well as editing weekly videos provided by Darsh.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting face-to-face is restricted. Therefore, each team member will have to study and research by himself/herself to make sure that he/she has basic knowledge of every section of the project.
Project Timeline
Project Budget
For this project, most materials required have been provided. The only purchases that are necessary are the wire kit used for the breadboard and the tuberose plant bulbs for experimentation, with a total of $35.20.
Detailed Specifications
Since the tuberose plant grows best in warm and humid environments, our device will work best in any warm and humid geographical location (between hardiness zones 9-11), such as Central America, for optimal growth. If the device is desired in an environment where the climate is inconsistent (harsh winters), keeping it out of the cold is the most important note. The tuberose plant thrives in sunlight throughout its growth period and cannot withstand cold or frost. The plant requires roughly 1.5 inches of rainwater each week. The environment should maintain humidity between 45%-65%. The tuberose plant can remain alive for about 1 week with improper watering before it begins to wither.
Results
We researched the tuberose plant and the best suited environment to determine the certain parameters needed to grow the plant. Before we started to write the code for the system, we created a flow chart to map out and organize the code. We then created an algorithm that allows us to water the plant when needed and conserving water and having optimal plant growth. We utilized 4 sensors to achieve this to give a proof of concept. Implementing this to a larger scale would require many more sensors. The data is collected every 20 seconds and stored in the given SD card. The LEDs determine when the plant needs to be watered. The system will only dispense water only if the value of the moisture sensor less optimal parameters. Then, the system will check which factor is causing that and turn on the color LED accordance with the sensor (Red is temperature, green is humidity, blue is moisture, and yellow is light). The system integrated with water pump will automatically dispense 1 fluid ounce of water if temperature is less than 19C, humidity is greater than 65, light is less than 20000, and it will dispense 1.5 fluid ounce if temperature is greater than 27C, humidity is less than 45, light is greater than 30000. Due to the logistic issue, our team could not get the water pump on hand to implement in the system. However, based on the indication of LEDs we know when to manually water our plants.
Program Flow Chart
Python Code
Simulated Water Pump Testing in Python
Circuit Testing
Discussion
We decided to follow the basic circuit layout to avoid possible mishaps in terms of the code communicating with the circuit. We average data over one day because the data is more accurate to analyze if averaged within a shorter period. If there is a rainy day during the week, averaging sensor data over one week would compromise the integrity of the data because it would falsely evaluate the amount of water needed per week. Since we focus on averaging the data over a one-day period, the results are more accurate according to the weather of a certain day. For this prototype, we used one of each sensor. We used this approach because we experimented with a smaller garden sample (2x1), planting one bulb approximately 1 foot from each other and the sensors in between the plants. On a larger scale, we plan to use more soil sensors so that the soil can be monitored throughout the garden.
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We believe that experimenting with a small garden sample is a good approach because it allows for a starting point to designing the algorithm used to determine when to activate the system. Once the smaller garden sample proves to yield optimal tuberose growth, the system can be expanded to work for bigger gardens. Something we could have done better was focusing on a plant that is more expressive when overwatered or underwatered. This would allow for faster analysis and problem solving because if the plant shows whether the amount of water administered is sufficient or insufficient, then we can analyze the data and alter the amount sooner.
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One feature we could improve upon is the consideration of using the system in an environment where the tuberose plant is a non-native. When considering the cold and frost, determining sufficient watering for the plant is difficult because improper watering is only one of many variables to take into consideration. We would also like to implement the freedom to allow users to input a variety of different plants. With this flexibility, the customer would only need one device to determine the amount of water needed for different plants.
One feature we would add is incorporating a watering pump so that the user will not have to prompted water to the plant. With this added control, it allows more flexibility and relieves stress on the user.
Sample Garden
Deliverables
By the end of our project, we have successfully developed a working circuit that will assess the plant’s environment and determine when it is the proper time to execute the watering system. If the parameters for a specific sensor are not met, the corresponding LED will light up, indicating which environmental variable is not optimal.
The difference is the additional water pump. Due to the lack of resources, we were unable to incorporate a water pump. Top picture is a diagram of our actual circuit and the bottom is a diagram of our ideal circuit if we had the water pump.
Circuit Design
Circuit Design with Water Pump
References
https://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/pages/tuberose-planting-guide
https://www.thespruce.com/fragrant-tuberose-flower-1315702
leafari.com/tuberose-planting-guide.html