Automatic control device and method capable of accurately simulating natural storm diversity

Abstract

The application relates to an automatic control device and method capable of accurately simulating natural storm diversity, wherein the device comprises a direct-current diaphragm pump, a Hall effect flowmeter, a water stop ball valve and an electronic control system box, the electronic control system box comprises a high-power electric appliance driving module, a rotary potentiometer module, a touch button module, a liquid crystal display screen and two Arduino UNO development boards, the first Arduino UNO development board is connected to the direct-current diaphragm pump, the rotary potentiometer module and the touch button module, the second Arduino UNO development board is connected to the Hall effect flowmeter, the direct-current diaphragm pump, the Hall effect flowmeter and the water stop ball valve are sequentially connected through PFA plastic water pipes, and the two ends are respectively connected to an external water supply source and a simulated rainfall spraying system. In addition, the device has two working modes of manual control and automatic control, and is provided with a simple operation method for completing various water supply tasks in the rainfall test. Compared with the prior art, the application has the advantages of low cost, small energy consumption, convenience in carrying and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a precipitation simulation device, and more particularly to an automatic control device and method that can accurately simulate the diversity of natural rainstorms. Background Technology

[0002] Against the backdrop of global climate extremes, urban infrastructure and engineering construction safety are widely threatened by rainstorms and floods, leading to frequent engineering accidents and geological disasters. Since the temporal variation patterns of rainfall intensity during natural rainstorms (rainfall patterns) are usually closely related to the timing of geological disasters and the formation of flood peaks, the diversity of rainstorm patterns has become a hot topic in disaster prevention and mitigation research. Currently, physical model experiments based on similarity theory are an important means of exploring the impact of rainstorm diversity on civil engineering and the surrounding environment. Scholars and engineers both domestically and internationally generally use equidistant sprinkler or drip irrigation systems to conduct artificial rainfall simulation experiments. However, most rainfall simulation experiments are completed by manually operating water pumps, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also cannot achieve real-time and precise control of water flow, making it difficult to meet the simulation requirements regarding rainstorm diversity.

[0003] Currently, peristaltic pumps with timing and precise speed control functions exist on the market. However, these pumps are expensive and have limited water flow, making them unsuitable for heavy rain-level testing conditions. In addition, some precise control systems specifically designed for artificial rainfall simulation experiments have also been developed. However, these commercial products are expensive, lack portability, and, in particular, their control systems are closed and not open-source, preventing scientists and technicians from freely expanding functional modules and programming custom control modes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic control device and method that can accurately simulate the diversity of natural rainstorms.

[0005] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] An automatic control device capable of accurately simulating the diversity of natural rainstorms includes a DC diaphragm pump, a Hall effect flow meter, a stop valve, and an electronic control system box. The electronic control system box includes a high-power electrical drive module, a rotary potentiometer module, a touch button module, an LCD display, and two Arduino UNO development boards. The first Arduino UNO development board is connected to the DC diaphragm pump, the rotary potentiometer module, and the touch button module, while the second Arduino UNO development board is connected to the Hall effect flow meter. The DC diaphragm pump, the Hall effect flow meter, and the stop valve are connected sequentially via PFA plastic water pipes, with both ends connected to an external water supply source and a simulated rainfall sprinkler system, respectively.

[0007] The electronic control system box also includes a custom-designed acrylic housing.

[0008] The circuit board of the electronic control system box has a double-layer structure. The high-power electrical drive module, rotary potentiometer module, touch button module and LCD screen are all located on the upper layer, and the Arduino UNO development board is located on the lower layer.

[0009] The DC diaphragm pump includes a brushed DC motor with a rated power of 100 watts.

[0010] The Arduino UNO development board is connected to all electronic modules and external Hall effect flow meters via plug-in terminals with insulating sleeves.

[0011] The load end of the high-power electrical drive module is connected to the DC diaphragm pump and the external DC power supply connector via the terminal block. The DC power supply connector, when plugged into the matching power adapter, can supply power to the DC diaphragm pump.

[0012] The device also includes a waterproof wooden pad, on which the DC diaphragm pump, Hall effect flow meter and electronic control system are mounted.

[0013] There are two LCD screens, each corresponding to one of the two Arduino UNO development boards, and each connected to the corresponding Arduino UNO development board.

[0014] The electronic control system box also includes a power supply box.

[0015] A method of operating the control device as described above includes:

[0016] Step S1: After connecting the external water supply to the rainfall simulation sprinkler system, open the water stop ball valve and place multiple rain collection bottles with water collection funnels inserted below the rainfall simulation sprinkler system.

[0017] Step S2: Adjust the rotary potentiometer module to the maximum output value;

[0018] Step S3: Turn on the DC diaphragm pump until the values ​​of PWM signal, water flow rate and cumulative water volume stabilize. Record the PWM signal value, water flow rate and cumulative water volume after stabilization, and then turn off the DC diaphragm pump.

[0019] Step S4: Adjust the rotary potentiometer module to change the PWM digital signal once, and repeat step S3 until multiple sets of PWM signal values, water flow rate and cumulative water volume are obtained;

[0020] Step S5: Generate a relationship model of rainfall intensity, water flow rate, and PWM signal based on the obtained PWM signal value, water flow rate, and cumulative water volume.

[0021] Step S6: Based on the obtained relational model, the rotation of the rotary potentiometer module (9) can be manually controlled or the program can be designed to automatically change the PWM signal at the specified time to simulate a rainstorm of a specified rainfall intensity.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] 1. The electronic control system developed based on the Arduino open-source technology platform can freely adjust the high-power DC diaphragm pump, which can meet the flow rate and water pressure conditions required for heavy rain level rainfall simulation experiments.

[0024] 2. By using an Arduino development board to calculate and process the pulse signal of the Hall effect flow meter in real time, precise control of the water flow of a high-power water pump can be achieved, and the result can be displayed in real time on an LCD screen.

[0025] 3. The device has two working modes and functions that cover the needs of the entire rainfall simulation test process. The manual adjustment mode is to manually adjust the diaphragm pump power by rotating the potentiometer module; the automatic adjustment mode allows the development board to run a pre-defined C language program to automatically adjust and monitor the flow rate.

[0026] 4. Simple to operate. Just use a single touch button module. Press and hold for 3 seconds to switch between different working modes, and press briefly to turn a working mode on or off.

[0027] 5. The unused signal interfaces on the development board are reserved for future expansion of functional modules to cope with other specific tasks. Compared with similar control equipment, this device is assembled from general-purpose and economical electronic modules, sensors and diaphragm pumps. It has the advantages of low cost, low energy consumption, easy loading, unloading and moving, which can save relevant test personnel a lot of time, effort and money. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 These are the overall top view and the three views of the electronic control system box of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is the circuit diagram of the control system of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is the control program logic diagram of the present invention;

[0031] The components include: 1. DC diaphragm pump, 2. Hall effect flow meter, 3. PFA plastic water pipe, 4. stop valve ball valve, 5. copper core wiring with insulating sleeve, 6. DC power connector, 7. custom acrylic shell, 8. high-power electrical drive module, 9. rotary potentiometer module, 10. touch button module, 11. display screen, 12. Arduino UNO development board, 13. power supply box, 14. acrylic partition, 15. copper hexagonal screw column, and 16. waterproof wooden pad. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. These embodiments are based on the technical solution of the present invention and provide detailed implementation methods and specific operating procedures. However, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0033] An automatic control device that can accurately simulate the diversity of natural rainstorms, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the system includes a DC diaphragm pump 1, a Hall effect flow meter 2, a stop valve ball valve 4, and an electronic control system box. The electronic control system box includes a high-power electrical drive module 8, a rotary potentiometer module 9, a touch button module 10, an LCD display 11, and two Arduino UNO development boards 12. The first Arduino UNO development board 12 is connected to the DC diaphragm pump 1, the rotary potentiometer module 9, and the touch button module 10, while the second Arduino UNO development board 12 is connected to the Hall effect flow meter 2. The DC diaphragm pump 1, the Hall effect flow meter 2, and the stop valve ball valve 4 are connected in sequence through a PFA plastic water pipe 3, with both ends connected to an external water supply source and a simulated rain sprinkler system, respectively.

[0034] Figure 1 The internal structure of the electronic control system box is a double-layer structure. The top view of the overall device only shows the upper layer structure, while the top view of one side shows the lower layer structure.

[0035] Figure 2 The circuit connection and layout around the two Arduino UNO development boards are shown respectively. One development board and its supporting circuit are responsible for the opening and closing device and the precise control of the diaphragm pump, while the other development board and its supporting circuit are responsible for monitoring the flow rate and timing.

[0036] Figure 3 The basic logic of the main program running on the development board responsible for controlling the diaphragm pump is demonstrated. The program in manual adjustment mode is fixed, while the program in automatic adjustment mode changes relevant parameters (such as n, X, and T) according to different rainfall test requirements.

[0037] The electronic control system box also includes a custom acrylic shell 7. The circuit board of the electronic control system box has a double-layer structure. The high-power electrical drive module 8, the rotary potentiometer module 9, the touch button module 10 and the LCD display 11 are all located on the upper layer, and the Arduino UNO development board 12 is located on the lower layer.

[0038] The DC diaphragm pump 1 includes a brushed DC motor with a rated power of 100 watts.

[0039] The Arduino UNO development board 12 is connected to all electronic modules and the external Hall effect flow meter 2 via plug-in terminals 5 with insulating sleeves.

[0040] The load end of the high-power electrical drive module 8 is connected to the DC diaphragm pump 1 and the external DC power connector 6 via terminal block 5. The DC power connector 6 can be plugged into the matching power adapter to supply power to the DC diaphragm pump 1.

[0041] The device also includes a waterproof wooden pad 16, a DC diaphragm pump 1, a Hall effect flow meter 2, and an electronic control system box mounted on the waterproof wooden pad 16.

[0042] There are two LCD screens 11, each corresponding to one of the two Arduino UNO development boards 12, and connected to the corresponding Arduino UNO development board 12.

[0043] The electronic control system box also includes a power supply box. The operating mode of the device can be switched or turned on / off by operating the touch button module 10 in the electronic control system box, and the water flow rate of the diaphragm pump 1 can be manually adjusted by rotating the potentiometer module 9. Two LCD screens display the current diaphragm pump power percentage, PWM signal value, water flow rate, and cumulative water volume, respectively, with the display content updating once per second. For example... Figure 2 As shown in the circuit diagram, two Arduino UNO development boards independently control the DC diaphragm pump 1 and receive signals from the Hall effect flowmeter 2, respectively, and display the information obtained from the control components in real time on their corresponding connected LCD screens. There are two reasons for this design: firstly, a single development board's signal interface is insufficient to meet the needs of multiple functional modules; secondly, the signal processing and automatic adjustment of the Hall effect flowmeter require timing, and performing these tasks on a single development board would significantly increase the complexity of the control program. Given the economical price of the Arduino UNO development board, a dual-board independent operation scheme is adopted.

[0044] Theoretically, knowing the parameters of a simulated rainfall sprinkler system allows for the determination of the quantitative relationship between rainfall intensity, water flow rate, and digital signal. Rainfall intensity is measured in millimeters per hour, representing the depth of rainwater falling per unit area per hour. For uniform rainfall, once the rainfall coverage area, duration, and specific intensity are determined, the required water flow rate can be calculated. For rainfall with intensity varying over time, the total rainfall duration can be divided into dozens of equal periods, ensuring that the rainfall intensity remains constant within the same period while varying across different periods, thus approximating the diversity of intensity variations in natural rainfall. Although smaller intervals approximate the actual rainfall process, the adjusted water flow rate requires at least a certain amount of time to stabilize at the design flow rate. Too small an interval or high-frequency adjustment can actually destabilize the water flow process. Furthermore, the device in this application utilizes pulse width modulation (PWM) to speed-regulate the brushed DC motor within the DC diaphragm pump 1, thereby achieving output flow rate regulation. Specifically, it uses a PWM digital signal within the range of 0 to 255 to map flow rates from 0 to the diaphragm pump's rated maximum flow rate. Therefore, a theoretical correspondence can be established between the water flow rate and the rainfall intensity and PWM digital signal before the experiment begins. However, the normal operation of the simulated rainfall sprinkler system (e.g., generating atomized raindrops) causes a certain water pressure loss in the pipes, resulting in the actual maximum flow rate in the pipes being less than the rated value of the diaphragm pump. Furthermore, the more sprinklers on the sprinkler system, the greater the error. In addition, some of the simulated raindrops will fall outside the test area, causing water loss and leading to errors in rainfall intensity. Considering all these factors, a calibration test of rainfall intensity, water flow rate, and digital signal is usually required before conducting a formal rainfall simulation experiment to reduce errors.

[0045] The calibration test was conducted using the manual adjustment function of the device described in this application. The specific steps are as follows:

[0046] (1) Connect the two ends of the device to the external water supply and the rainfall simulation sprinkler system through PFA plastic water pipes 3 respectively, and open the water ball valve 4. At the same time, arrange multiple rain collection bottles (simulated rain gauges) with water collection funnels at equal intervals in the rainfall test coverage area below the sprinkler system; (2) Turn on the switches of the two Arduino UNO development board power supply boxes 13 to power on and run the built-in program; (3) Power on the DC diaphragm pump 1 after confirming that the connection between the DC diaphragm pump 1 and the control system box is correct; (4) If the touch button module 10 is not pressed for three seconds, it will enter the manual adjustment mode by default; (5) Confirm that the rotating potentiometer 9 is rotated to the maximum resistance value at one end (at this time, the feedback analog signal is the upper limit 1023, and the development board then maps the PWM signal to the upper limit 255 and transmits it to the high-power electrical drive module 8 that controls the diaphragm pump); (6) Press the touch button module 10 once, and the high-power electrical drive module immediately starts the diaphragm pump. At the same time, the two LCD screens start to display the PWM signal value, diaphragm pump power percentage, water flow rate and cumulative value. (7) Manually adjust the rotary potentiometer head to change the PWM digital signal to change the water flow rate of the diaphragm pump. Observe and record the water flow rate value and the average time required for the reading to stabilize after the change. Then keep the diaphragm pump working for 15 minutes. (8) Press the touch button module again to stop the diaphragm pump (pressing it at any time will immediately stop the diaphragm pump, and pressing it again will turn it on again). (9) Put away the rain collection bottle and measure the rainfall with a rain gauge. Then put the empty rain collection bottle back in its original position. (10) Repeat steps 6-9 three times to complete a total of four experiments and obtain the recorded data of rainfall intensity, water flow rate and PWM signal. (11) The recorded data can be interpolated mathematically to obtain the actual linear relationship model of rainfall intensity-water flow rate-PWM signal, which can be used for subsequent formal rainfall experiment design.

[0047] The manual adjustment mode of this device has a clear program logic and a simple operation process, making it suitable for tasks that require free adjustment of water flow anytime and anywhere.

[0048] In addition, such as Figure 3As shown, the automatic control task of water flow for simulating complex natural rainstorm processes in formal experiments can be accomplished using the automatic adjustment mode of the device described in this application. Based on the obtained linear relationship model of rainfall intensity, water flow, and PWM signal, a C language program for automatically controlling the rainfall simulation experiment is developed using the Arduino IDE software platform. The PWM digital signal X within different equal time periods P of the total rainfall duration T is set according to specific rainstorm characteristics to precisely adjust the water flow of the DC diaphragm pump 1. The program loops once per second, and exits the loop when the rainfall duration t reaches the total duration T, automatically stopping the diaphragm pump. To activate the automatic adjustment mode, press and hold the touch button module 10 for three seconds initially, then press it lightly once to enter the automatic adjustment program. Furthermore, for safety, in case of unexpected situations during the experiment, the diaphragm pump can be stopped and the automatic adjustment program interrupted at any time by lightly pressing the touch button module 10.

[0049] This indicates that in the automatic adjustment mode of the device in this application, the entire test process can be completed by the technician simply by operating the touch button module 10 at the beginning, thus freeing up the person's hands and allowing them to focus more on the observation and recording of the test phenomena.

Claims

1. An operation method for an automatic control device capable of accurately simulating the diversity of natural rainstorms, characterized in that, The control device includes a DC diaphragm pump (1), a Hall effect flow meter (2), a stop valve (4), and an electronic control system box. The electronic control system box includes a high-power electrical drive module (8), a rotary potentiometer module (9), a touch button module (10), an LCD screen (11), and two Arduino UNO development boards (12). The first Arduino UNO development board (12) is connected to the DC diaphragm pump (1), the rotary potentiometer module (9), and the touch button module (10). The second Arduino UNO development board (12) is connected to the Hall effect flow meter (2). The DC diaphragm pump (1), the Hall effect flow meter (2), and the stop valve (4) are connected in sequence through a PFA plastic water pipe (3), and both ends are connected to an external water supply source and a simulated rain spray system, respectively. The operating methods include: Step S1: After connecting the external water supply to the rainfall simulation sprinkler system, open the water stop ball valve (4) and place multiple rain collection bottles with water collection funnels below the rainfall simulation sprinkler system. Step S2: Adjust the rotating head of the rotary potentiometer module (9) to the maximum output value; Step S3: Turn on the DC diaphragm pump (1) until the values ​​of PWM signal, water flow rate and cumulative water volume are stable. Record the stable PWM signal value, water flow rate and cumulative water volume, and turn off the DC diaphragm pump (1). Step S4: Adjust the rotary potentiometer module (9) to change the PWM digital signal once, and repeat step S3 until multiple sets of PWM signal values, water flow rate and cumulative water volume are obtained; Step S5: Generate a relationship model of rainfall intensity, water flow rate, and PWM signal based on the obtained PWM signal value, water flow rate, and cumulative water volume. Step S6: Based on the obtained relational model, the rotation of the rotary potentiometer module (9) can be manually controlled or the program can be designed to automatically change the PWM signal at the specified time to simulate a rainstorm with a specified rainfall intensity.

2. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic control system box also includes a custom plexiglass housing (7).

3. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The circuit board of the electronic control system box has a double-layer structure. The high-power electrical drive module (8), the rotary potentiometer module (9), the touch button module (10) and the liquid crystal display screen (11) are all located on the upper layer, and the Arduino UNO development board (12) is located on the lower layer.

4. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The DC diaphragm pump (1) includes a brushed DC motor with a rated power of 100 watts.

5. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Arduino UNO development board (12) is connected to each electronic module and the external Hall effect flow meter (2) via plug-in terminals (5) with insulating sleeves.

6. The operating method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The load end of the high-power electrical drive module (8) is connected to the DC diaphragm pump (1) and the external DC power connector (6) through the plug-in terminal (5). The DC power connector (6) can be plugged into a matching power adapter to supply power to the DC diaphragm pump (1).

7. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device also includes a waterproof wooden pad (16), on which the DC diaphragm pump (1), Hall effect flow meter (2) and electronic control system are mounted.

8. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are two LCD screens (11), each corresponding to one of the two Arduino UNO development boards (12), and they are connected to the corresponding Arduino UNO development boards (12).

9. The operating method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic control system box also includes a power supply box.

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