ECE 445 Senior Design Project Proposal

Rural Automated Water Tank Filling System

Vijay Kumar Arun Garlapati Jirong Xu

Introduction
Title:
As our title suggests, we are designing an automated tank filling system that will be implemented in the rural parts of the world. The group members involved in this project all have experienced conditions in rural parts of India and China and thus have a personal attachment to this project since we truly believe in the benefits that our project can have to such areas of the world. In rural areas, water is provided to the housing complex by a water tank that is situated on top of the building. The water tank is supplied by a source, normally a well or another tank that is sourced by the municipal body of the village. Once the source has enough water it is the duty of the household to switch on the motor which then pumps water from the source to the tank that is situated on the roof or terrace. This is common knowledge and is not only restricted to the rural parts, but is also a prevalent system in the urban parts of India. Even in major cities of India such as Chennai, Bangalore or Mumbai, the majority of the apartment complex is fitted with a tank and motor system that draws water from a source provided by the municipal body, where a person from the complex must activate the motor to fill the system.

Our project will automate this process by placing a single floating sensor unit in the tank that will periodically take measurements of the water level and will control the motor wirelessly accordingly. In todays day and age, wireless communication has become an integral part of our existence, and we wish to include this technology into more and more facets of the underprivileged. Another advantage of using wireless communication is that we can our system to control multiple such motor and tank systems. This leads to another important goal of our project which is to make the production and deployment of the system as economical and simple as possible since our target customers are people from the rural areas who may or may not be able to purchase the expensive solutions that currently exist in the market. Having one of our systems controlling multiple motor and tank systems enables customers to purchase only one unit, which further reduces the cost of implementing and using our system.

Objective: Rural Automated Tank Filling System

Benefits: 1) There will be no overflow of the overhead tank.
2) There will be no overheating of the motor due to neglect of stopping the motor. 3) The water in rural areas has proven to be salty since the source in general is natural. This causes a buildup of crystallized salt at the bottom of the tank after an extended period of time. This poses to be a problem since if the water level is allowed to go too low then the salt layer is mixed with the new source of water which then causes the pipe system to be blocked by the salt that has mixed with the new water. This is avoided by our system as the sensor will not allow for the tank to go past a certain water level.

Features: 1) Wireless communication

2) 3) 4) 5) Control multiple motor and tank systems using one single unit. Sturdy floating sensor. Economical Ease of deployment.

Block Diagram

Block Diagram Description

We will be using a sensor from one of the MaxSonar Sensor series in the overhead tank as we require the sensor to calculate the distance from the top of the tank to the sensor to determine the water level in the tank. The sensor in the overhead tank will measure the distance by calculating the time it takes for sonar signals it emits to the top of the tank and reflect back. Once the water reaches either high/low level (previously calibrated), an amplified signal (via Amplifier 1) will be sent from transmitter1. We need to convert from analog to digital so that the output of the sensors can be transmitted digitally via the Linx HP-3 transmitter/receiver unit and then input into the PIC for logic manipulation. The sensor unit in the overhead tank is completely modular since it requires no input from the PIC or any other device. It sends out signals but doesnt receive any. Since the distance between transmitter 1 and the receiver is large, we will need another amplifier to amplify the incoming signal so that it is readable by the receiver. The receiver will then output different digital signals to the pic micro-controller, based on the received frequencies. The receiver will be able to distinguish between multiple frequency inputs since we are designing our system so that it can control multiple motor and tank systems. The micro-controller in our project serves as the heart of the automated process. It is also modular since its main function is to receive a certain input, and use logic to send a certain output signal as a command. Thus, even if the receiver does not function properly, we can still ensure the PIC is doing its job by sending in high or low voltage signals using a function generator (since we are working in digital domain) and observe the output that it generates based on our logic programming. The output of the micro-controller is based on programmed logic, and the input from receiver. The micro-controller will output instructions that can control the status of the relay switch.

The relay switch is another modular part of our system since its purpose is to get an input from the pic and the source tank and then disconnect/connect the power source (singlephase motor) based on the inputs. Therefore, it has no output or feedback that it sends to the PIC, and basically functions according to the digital instructions of the PIC (which again we can simulate using a function generator). Since the relay switch will be connected to the wall outlet, we will be using an AC relay switch and so we will need to implement a D/A converter so the digital signal from the PIC can be read by our switch. The sensor from the water source in the underground/ground-level tank has an override signal to the switch. If there no water from the source, the switch will remain disconnected, thus preventing the motor from operating unnecessarily.

Performance Requirement

30 ft for wireless Communication between overhead tank and motor that is at the ground level. Receiver must be able to distinguish multiple frequency inputs and also have multiple corresponding outputs. PIC (micro-controller) must also be able to accept multiple inputs and be able to output multiple signals. The sensor in the tank needs to be able to sense distances from between 0.25 meters to 3 meters and be able to detect the calibrated level within a 20% error margin. Switch must be maintained at a 220 V level output. Or our relay switch must be universal in that it allows us to block or allow any voltage level from the voltage source to the motor.

Verification
Testing Procedure:
Before physically building any components, we will use Pspice to design and test our sensor circuit, transmitter and receiver circuit, PIC circuit and the switch circuit. The simulations is much easier to test on than actual hardware and will allow us to determine the correct parts to order. Test the functionality of the floating sensor by manually filling the tank with water, therefore increasing the water level. Once the water reaches a previously calibrated level, a signal should be sent from the transmitter. Test the ability of the receiver to detect multiple frequencies by having a set up of 2-3 tank/transmitter systems. The receiver should be able to receive signals in a designated range, and have two outputs based on the received signal frequency. We can determine the range of our transmitter and receiver by testing various distances. The PIC controller can be tested for its logical performance, by allowing it to turn on/off relay switch, based on the signal from the sensor in the tank. As a preliminary test, we will program the PIC so that it can turn on/off an LED which will symbolize turning on/off a switch since this is less complicated. Once that stage is tested, we know the PIC is functioning properly through the correct logical programming

and soon proceed to test the on/off of our relay switch. The power switch can be tested by using any 220V device, since the pump is not a part of the project.

Tolerance Analysis:
The sensor plus the gyro-ball implementation is the most important part of our project since it makes the entire system automated and universal. Thus, we need to enforce strict tolerance testing on this module. The sensor should remain relatively steady when the tank is filled with water, to make sure the ultrasonic reading are done correctly, so that the maximum floating bias angle would as small as possible. We also need to find a suitable material for the gyro-ball that is going to house our sensor so that the ultrasound waves are not distorted. Another important factor is when we calibrate our sensor every time it is turned on the minimum distance that the closest object can be to our sensor is 14 inches for an accurate calibration. Thus the material that will be permeable to sonar waves in key. Since we are going to use a PIC to control the RX pin of the LV-MaxSonar EZ4, which controls if the sensor is taking in measurements or not, we are going to have to ensure the proper recalibration of the sensor. We will have the PIC save our two, high and low, voltage values so that those are the values that the sensor re-calibrates against. We will also be testing our sensor at 3.3V input rather than 5V since we want our battery that is supplying power to the sensor to last longer. Even though operating at 5V is more accurate, operating at 3.3V is more than sufficient because our design does not require the measurements to be that accurate.

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Cost and Schedule

Cost Analysis:
Parts Price $20 Transmitter: Rf Transmitter Module TXM-900-HP3-PPO LINX Reciever: RF Reciever Module RXM-900-HP3-PPO PIC: 16F877A AC Relay switch: Danger Den AC 110V & 220V Pump Relay Switch Kit Sensors: MaxSonar EZ4 Subtotal: $43 1 $43 Qty 2 Total Cost $40

$5

$5

$24

$24

$50

2 7

$100 $212

Labor
Name Arun Garlapati Vijay Kumar Jirong Xu Rate $25/hr $25/hr $25/hr Quantity 300 hrs 300 hrs 300 hrs Total: Total cost = Parts + Labor = $212 + $56,250 = $56,462 Total $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $13,800 Multiplier (x2.5) $18,750 $18,750 $18,750 $56,250

Schedule:

Date (mm:dd) 2/7-2/13

Task Complete Proposal Order Sensors Order Gyro-Ball PIC and its interface with sensor/Relay switch PSpice and OrCad tutorial to start Sensor/Wireless Circuit Design PSpice and OrCad tutorial to start PIC Interface Circuit Design PSpice and OrCad tutorial to start Relay Switch Circuit Design Sensor Unit Research Wireless Unit Research Relay Switch Research

Group Members

Vijay Jirong Arun

Vijay

Arun

Jirong

Vijay Vijay Jirong

2/14-2/20

Sign Up for Design Review Research Transformer Design Research A/D and D/A converter design for PIC Simulate Sensor Circuit Simulate Wireless Circuit Simulate Relay Switch Finish Sensor/Wireless Circuit Design Finish PIC Interface Circuit Design Jirong Arun

Vijay Vijay Jirong Vijay

Arun

Finish Relay Switch Circuit Design 2/21-2/27 Design Review Order Parts for Sensor/ Wireless Circuit Order Parts for Relay Switch Assemble Gyro-Ball Start Transmitter/Receiver module testing Start Sensor-Ball testing Build and start Relay Switch circuit testing Start PIC Programming 2/28-3/6 Test and Debug PIC Assemble Switch Circuit with external plug point Test and Debug Relay Switch Debug and Test Sensor circuit Debug and Test Wireless circuit 3/7-3/13 Debug PIC Debug Relay Switch Debug Sensor and Wireless Circuit PIC interface with Relay Switch Relay Switch Interface with PIC PIC interface with Receiver and PIC interface with sensor

Jirong

Vijay

Jirong Vijay Vijay

Vijay Jirong

Arun Arun Jirong

Jirong Vijay Vijay

Arun Jirong Vijay

Arun

Jirong Arun

Receiver interface with PIC and Sensor interface with PIC 3/14-3/20 PIC interface with Relay Switch Relay Switch Interface with PIC PIC interface with Receiver and PIC interface with sensor Receiver interface with PIC and Sensor interface with PIC Design Sensor/Wireless Part of PCB Design PIC Part of PCB Design Relay Switch Part of PCB Individual Reports SPRING BREAK 3/28-4/3

Vijay Arun

Jirong Arun

Vijay Vijay

Arun Jirong

Build PIC Part of PCB and test Arun system Build Relay Switch Part of PCB and test system Build Sensor/Wireless Part of PCB and test system Mockup Demos Jirong Vijay

4/4-4/10

Mock Presentation Debug and Revise Sensor/ Wireless circuit as necessary Debug and Revise PIC programming and Interfaces as necessary Debug and Revise Relay Switch Circuit as necessary Vijay

Arun

Jirong

4/11-4/17

Deadline for PCB Debug and Revise Sensor/ Wireless Circuit as necessary Debug and Revise PIC programming and Interfaces as necessary Debug and Revise Relay Switch Circuit as necessary Vijay

Arun

Jirong

4/18-4/24

Sign up for Demo/ Presentation and Work on Presentation Final Demo/Presentation Final Paper

4/25-5/1 5/2