An irrigation gate automatic control module with cat.1 function
By designing an automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 functionality, the problems of limited functionality and high cost of existing systems have been solved, realizing automated control and remote wireless communication, thus meeting the needs of smart agriculture.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TAIAN JUCHUANG ELECTRONIC TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Existing valve control systems for agricultural irrigation are limited in function, cost, and flexibility, making them unsuitable for the development needs of modern smart agriculture.
Design an automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 functionality, comprising an MCU, a DC/DC step-down module, a pulse input module, a digital input module, an analog input signal module, a stall signal module, a Cat.1 circuit module, a DC actuator drive module, and a stepper motor drive module, to achieve automated control and remote wireless communication, and to use a 4G network for data interaction.
It achieves gate control with rich automated control functions, flexible application, low cost, and remote wireless communication capabilities, reducing remote communication costs, improving adaptability, and meeting the development needs of smart agriculture.
Smart Images

Figure CN224536363U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automatic control technology for agricultural irrigation, and in particular to an automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function. Background Technology
[0002] The increasing prevalence of automatic control has greatly improved the efficiency of modern agriculture, industry, and manufacturing, leading to the emergence of various automatic control schemes. These schemes generally consist of three main parts: sensors, actuators, and core controllers. Core controllers are mostly computer control systems, FCS control systems, DCS control systems, and PLC control systems, boasting advantages such as advanced functionality and high automation. However, these four types of control systems often suffer from drawbacks such as large system size, high cost, and poor application flexibility, making them unsuitable for the development needs of modern smart agriculture. Designing an automatic control module for agricultural irrigation gates that is flexible in application, has comprehensive automatic control functions, and is low in cost has become an urgent problem to be solved in modern smart agriculture. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This utility model provides an automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function, which solves the problems of existing agricultural irrigation valve control systems having single function, high cost, and poor application flexibility.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model adopts the following technical solution: an automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function, comprising an MCU, a DC / DC step-down module, a pulse input module, a digital input module, an analog input signal module, a stall signal module, a Cat.1 circuit module, a DC push rod drive module or a stepper motor drive module. The DC / DC step-down module, pulse input module, digital input module, analog input signal module, stall signal module, Cat.1 circuit module, DC push rod drive module, and stepper motor drive module are electrically connected to the MCU, and the DC / DC step-down module is connected to an external power supply.
[0005] Preferably, the DC / DC step-down module includes a CON8 interface, a reverse connection protection diode D4, and a DC / DC step-down circuit. The CON8 interface is a DC 12V input interface, which is input to the DC / DC step-down circuit composed of a step-down chip U4, electrolytic capacitors C5 and C6, high-frequency capacitors C13 and C14, an energy storage inductor L1, and reference voltage divider resistors R13 and R14 via the reverse connection protection diode D4. The DC 12V voltage is stepped down to DC 3.3V to provide operating power for the entire control module.
[0006] Preferably, the digital input module includes current-limiting resistors, optocouplers, and pull-up resistors. It provides 5 digital signal inputs, which are current-limited by 5 current-limiting resistors R6, R7, R8, R12, and R53, and output after isolation by 5 optocouplers U7, U8, U9, U10, and U14. R26, R27, R28, R51, and R52 are five pull-up resistors.
[0007] Preferably, the pulse input module includes a current-limiting resistor, an optocoupler, and a pull-up resistor. INA and INB are two pulse signals output from a DC motor encoder. They are current-limited by two current-limiting resistors R11 and R10 and output after being isolated by optocouplers U12 and U11. R31 and R30 are two pull-up resistors.
[0008] Preferably, the stall signal module includes a non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit and a current-limiting resistor. A small voltage signal is input through the mAD terminal, amplified by the non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit composed of operational amplifier U3A and resistors R40 and R42, and output as a voltage signal of 0.8-1.2V, which is then current-limited by the current-limiting resistor R43.
[0009] Preferably, in the DC actuator module, CON3 is the output terminal of the DC actuator motor, F1 is a self-resetting fuse for short-circuit protection, diodes D1 and D2 and relays K1 and K2 are the control part of the DC actuator motor. The two relays alternately engage and disengage to control the power polarity of the DC actuator motor, thereby causing the DC actuator motor to rotate in both directions, achieving the push-out and pull-back actions of the actuator. Resistor R9 is the sampling resistor for the operating current of the DC actuator motor. The mAD terminal samples and outputs a millivolt signal to the stall signal module to determine the operating state of the motor, i.e., light load, medium load, or overload. Integrated chip U2 is the relay driver chip. The JDA_A and JDA_B terminals are connected to the MCU, and the MCU outputs relay action signals to control the push-out or pull-back actions of the actuator.
[0010] Preferably, in the stepper motor drive module, the DIR and EN terminals are TTL high and low level signals sent from the MCU, the DIR terminal is the stepper motor forward and reverse rotation control signal, the EN terminal is the stepper motor enable control signal, the CP terminal is the stepping pulse signal sent from the MCU, the three resistors R54, R55, and R56 are current limiting resistors, the three optocouplers U16, U17, and U18 are signal opto-isolation parts, the three resistors R29, R48, and R49 are pull-up resistors, and the stepper motor control signal is output through terminal CON9.
[0011] Preferably, the analog input module includes a precision resistor R15, an operational amplifier U13A, and a resistor R18. The current signal is input through the mA terminal, sampled by the precision resistor R15, and converted into a 0.2-1V DC voltage signal. This DC voltage signal is impedance-transformed by a voltage follower composed of the operational amplifier U13A and then output with current limiting by the resistor R18.
[0012] Preferably, it also includes a first 485 circuit, in which U5 is a TTL to 485 communication chip. The TTL communication signal output by the MCU is converted into a 485 communication signal by U5 and then output by terminal CON2. Resistor R34 is a fuse resistor to prevent U5 from burning out when the external circuit is short-circuited.
[0013] Preferably, it also includes a second 485 circuit, in which U is a TTL to 485 communication chip. The TTL communication signal output by the MCU is converted into a 485 communication signal by U and then output by the terminal CON. The resistor R3 is a fuse resistor used to prevent U6 from burning out when the external circuit is short-circuited.
[0014] Preferably, in the Cat.1 circuit module, U19 is a Cat.1 module, MS is a patch electronic data card, ANTZ is an external 4G antenna interface, capacitor C12 is a power decoupling and anti-interference capacitor for the Cat.1 module, capacitor C8 is a power decoupling and anti-interference capacitor for the electronic data card, the MS ports SIM-I / O, SIM-RST, and SIM-CLK are connected to U19 for data interaction, and the U19 ports CAT-RX and CAT-TX are connected to the MCU for data interaction between the Cat.1 circuit section and the MCU.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and positive effects of this utility model are as follows:
[0016] This invention designs an automatic control module for irrigation gates that features rich automation control functions, flexible application, Cat.1 wireless communication based on 4G networks, and low cost. This makes automatic gate control more adaptable to the needs of the rural market. The Cat.1 wireless communication function enables remote wireless communication for irrigation gate control, eliminating the need for wiring. Utilizing IoT technology and dedicated cloud platform software, remote monitoring and control can be performed anywhere with a 4G network using electronic data cards, reducing the cost of remote communication and further improving the adaptability of automatic control. This makes it more suitable for the development needs of smart agriculture and thus has greater potential for widespread adoption. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to this utility model;
[0018] Figure 2This is the circuit diagram of the DC / DC step-down module of this utility model;
[0019] Figure 3 This is the circuit diagram of the switch input module of this utility model;
[0020] Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of the encoder pulse input module of this utility model;
[0021] Figure 5 The circuit diagram for the analog input signal of this utility model is shown below.
[0022] Figure 6 This is the circuit diagram of the stall signal module of this utility model;
[0023] Figure 7 This is the circuit diagram of the MCU of this utility model;
[0024] Figure 8 This is a circuit diagram of the DC push rod drive module of this utility model;
[0025] Figure 9 This is a circuit diagram of the stepper motor drive module of this utility model;
[0026] Figure 10 This is the circuit diagram of the first 485 circuit of this utility model;
[0027] Figure 11 This is the circuit diagram of the second 485 circuit of this utility model;
[0028] Figure 12 This is a circuit diagram of the light-emitting indicator module of this utility model;
[0029] Figure 13 This is a circuit diagram of the Cat.1 circuit module of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0030] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this utility model, the present utility model will be further described below through embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.
[0031] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the following specification.
[0032] An automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 functionality, such as Figure 1As shown, the automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 functionality includes an MCU, a DC / DC step-down module, a pulse input module, a digital input module, an analog input signal module, a stall signal module, a Cat.1 circuit module, a DC actuator drive module, and a stepper motor drive module. The DC / DC step-down module, pulse input module, digital input module, analog input signal module, stall signal module, Cat.1 circuit module, DC actuator drive module, and stepper motor drive module are all electrically connected to the MCU. The DC / DC step-down module is connected to an external power supply. Figure 7 As shown, the MCU in this embodiment uses the low-power chip HC32L136K8TA from Huada Semiconductor. In the circuit, capacitors C1, C31, and C32 are power supply decoupling and anti-interference capacitors, interface CON1 is the SWD download simulation interface, and capacitor C2 and resistor R1 form the MCU power-on reset circuit.
[0033] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 2 The DC / DC step-down module includes a CON8 interface, a reverse connection protection diode D4, and a DC / DC step-down circuit. The CON8 interface is a DC 12V input interface, which is input to the DC / DC step-down circuit composed of a step-down chip U4, electrolytic capacitors C5 and C6, high-frequency capacitors C13 and C14, energy storage inductor L1, and reference voltage divider resistors R13 and R14 via the reverse connection protection diode D4. The DC 12V voltage is stepped down to DC 3.3V to provide operating power for the entire control module.
[0034] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 3 The digital input module includes current-limiting resistors, optocouplers, and pull-up resistors. It provides five digital signal inputs, which are current-limited by five resistors R6, R7, R8, R12, and R53, and isolated by five optocouplers U7, U8, U9, U10, and U14 before output. Five pull-up resistors are R26, R27, R28, R51, and R52. The digital input module primarily acquires high and low level signals indicating the gate is in position, providing gate limit signals to the MCU.
[0035] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 4 The pulse input module includes current-limiting resistors, optocouplers, and pull-up resistors. INA and INB are two pulse signals output from the DC motor encoder. These signals are current-limited by two resistors R11 and R10, and then isolated by optocouplers U12 and U11 before being output. R31 and R30 are two pull-up resistors. The pulse input module primarily acquires the number of speed pulses from the gate motor's DC encoder to measure the DC motor's speed and the extension and retraction lengths of the DC push rod, thereby controlling the gate's opening and closing degree.
[0036] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 5 The analog input module includes a precision resistor R15, an operational amplifier U13A, and a resistor R18. The current signal is input through the mA terminal, sampled by the precision resistor R15, and converted into a 0.2-1V DC voltage signal. This DC voltage signal is then impedance-transformed by a voltage follower circuit composed of the operational amplifier U13A, and finally output after current limiting by the resistor R18. The analog input module is used to acquire 4-20mA analog current signals output from external sensors.
[0037] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 6 The stall signal module includes a non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit and a current-limiting resistor. A small voltage signal is input through the mAd terminal, amplified by the non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit composed of operational amplifier U3A and resistors R40 and R42, and output as a voltage signal of 0.8-1.2V. The current is then limited by the current-limiting resistor R43 before being output. The stall signal module is used to acquire the operating current of the DC actuator motor.
[0038] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 8 The DC actuator drive module is the MCU control output section, mainly composed of a relay driver chip and relays. The relay driver chip controls two relays, and the alternating activation of the two relays changes the polarity of the DC actuator, achieving the push-out and pull-back action of the DC actuator, ultimately controlling the gate opening and closing action. In the DC actuator module, CON3 is the output terminal of the DC actuator motor, F1 is a self-resetting fuse for short-circuit protection, diodes D1 and D2 and relays K1 and K2 are the control part of the DC actuator motor. The two relays alternately activate and deactivate, controlling the power supply polarity of the DC actuator motor, thereby causing the DC actuator motor to rotate forward and backward, achieving the push-out and pull-back action of the actuator. Resistor R9 is the sampling resistor for the DC actuator motor operating current. The mAD terminal samples and outputs a millivolt signal, which is sent to the stall signal module to determine the motor's operating state, i.e., light load, medium load, or overload. Integrated chip U2 is the relay driver chip. The JDA_A and JDA_B terminals are connected to the MCU, and the MCU outputs relay action signals to control the push-out or pull-back action of the actuator.
[0039] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 9The stepper motor drive module is another drive circuit for the gate switch. When the gate switch uses a stepper motor for power, the MCU isolates and outputs forward / reverse control TTL level, stop control TTL level, and rotation control pulses to control the forward / reverse rotation of the stepper motor, thereby controlling the push rod to extend and retract, ultimately achieving the gate switch operation. In the stepper motor drive module, the DIR and EN terminals are the TTL high and low level signals sent from the MCU. The DIR terminal is the stepper motor forward / reverse control signal, the EN terminal is the stepper motor enable control signal, and the CP terminal is the stepping pulse signal sent from the MCU. The three resistors R54, R55, and R56 are current-limiting resistors, the three optocouplers U16, U17, and U18 are signal opto-isolation parts, and the three resistors R29, R48, and R49 are pull-up resistors. The stepper motor control signal is output through terminal CON9.
[0040] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 10 In the first 485 circuit, U5 is a TTL-to-485 communication chip. The TTL communication signal output by the MCU is converted into a 485 communication signal by U5 and then output through terminal CON2. Resistor R34 is a fuse resistor used to prevent U5 from burning out in case of a short circuit in the external circuit. The first 485 circuit is used to connect sensors that output RS485 signals (such as flow sensors, level sensors, etc.).
[0041] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 11 In the second 485 circuit, U6 is a TTL-to-485 communication chip. The TTL communication signal output by the MCU is converted into a 485 communication signal by U6 and then output through terminal CON. Resistor R3 is a fuse resistor used to prevent U6 from burning out in case of a short circuit in the external circuit. The second 485 circuit is used to connect an external remote 485 communication cable to communicate with the host computer through a DTU or converter. It uses dedicated platform software and control modules to monitor various parameters at the gate control site and can remotely control the gate to open or close, forming a data exchange between the local site and the control room to achieve the purpose of remote measurement and remote control.
[0042] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 12 The luminous status indicator module is used to indicate the power status, gate operation status, gate open / closed position, sensor working status, communication status, etc. Among them, five resistors R21, R22, R23, R24, and R25 are current-limiting resistors, and five light-emitting diodes LED2, LED3, LED4, LED5, and LED6 are power and working status indicators. LED2 is the power indicator, LED3 is the gate open position indicator, LED4 is the gate closed position indicator, LED5 is the DC push rod motor stall / overcurrent indicator, and LED6 is the communication status indicator.
[0043] As a preferred embodiment of this example, refer to Figure 13 In the Cat.1 circuit module, U19 is the Cat.1 module, MS is the patch electronic data card, ANTZ is the external 4G antenna interface, capacitor C12 is the power decoupling and anti-interference capacitor for the Cat.1 module, capacitor C8 is the power decoupling and anti-interference capacitor for the electronic data card, and the MS ports SIM-I / O, SIM-RST, and SIM-CLK are connected to U19 for data interaction. The U19 ports CAT-RX and CAT-TX are connected to the MCU for data interaction between the Cat.1 circuit section and the MCU.
[0044] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model in any other way. Any person skilled in the art may make changes or modifications to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments for application in other fields. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model without departing from the technical solution of the present utility model shall still fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present utility model.
Claims
1. An automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 functionality, characterized in that: It includes an MCU, a DC / DC step-down module, a pulse input module, a digital input module, an analog input signal module, a stall signal module, a Cat.1 circuit module, a DC actuator drive module, or a stepper motor drive module. The DC / DC step-down module, pulse input module, digital input module, analog input signal module, stall signal module, Cat.1 circuit module, DC actuator drive module, and stepper motor drive module are electrically connected to the MCU, and the DC / DC step-down module is connected to an external power supply.
2. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The DC / DC step-down module includes a CON8 interface, a reverse connection protection diode D4, and a DC / DC step-down circuit. The CON8 interface is a DC 12V input interface, which is input to the DC / DC step-down circuit composed of a step-down chip U4, electrolytic capacitors C5 and C6, high-frequency capacitors C13 and C14, energy storage inductor L1, and reference voltage divider resistors R13 and R14 via the reverse connection protection diode D4. The DC 12V voltage is stepped down to DC 3.3V to provide operating power for the entire control module.
3. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital input module includes current-limiting resistors, optocouplers, and pull-up resistors. It has 5 digital signal inputs, which are current-limited by 5 current-limiting resistors R6, R7, R8, R12, and R53, and output after isolation by 5 optocouplers U7, U8, U9, U10, and U14. R26, R27, R28, R51, and R52 are five pull-up resistors.
4. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pulse input module includes a current-limiting resistor, an optocoupler, and a pull-up resistor. INA and INB are two pulse signals output from the DC motor encoder. They are current-limited by two current-limiting resistors R11 and R10 and then output after being isolated by optocouplers U12 and U11. R31 and R30 are two pull-up resistors.
5. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stall signal module includes a non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit and a current-limiting resistor. A small voltage signal is input through the mAD terminal, amplified by the non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit composed of operational amplifier U3A and resistors R40 and R42, and output as a voltage signal of 0.8-1.2V. The current is limited by the current-limiting resistor R43 before being output.
6. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the DC actuator module, CON3 is the output terminal of the DC actuator motor, F1 is a self-resetting fuse for short-circuit protection, diodes D1 and D2 and relays K1 and K2 are the control part of the DC actuator motor. The two relays alternately turn on and off to control the power polarity of the DC actuator motor, thereby causing the DC actuator motor to rotate in both directions, achieving the push-out and pull-back actions of the actuator. Resistor R9 is the sampling resistor for the operating current of the DC actuator motor. The mAD terminal samples and outputs a millivolt signal to the stall signal module to determine the operating state of the motor, i.e., light load, medium load, or overload. Integrated chip U2 is the relay driver chip. The JDA_A and JDA_B terminals are connected to the MCU. The MCU outputs relay action signals to control the push-out or pull-back action of the actuator.
7. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the stepper motor drive module, the DIR and EN terminals are TTL high and low level signals sent from the MCU. The DIR terminal is the stepper motor forward and reverse rotation control signal, the EN terminal is the stepper motor enable control signal, and the CP terminal is the stepping pulse signal sent from the MCU. The three resistors R54, R55, and R56 are current limiting resistors, the three optocouplers U16, U17, and U18 are signal opto-isolation parts, and the three resistors R29, R48, and R49 are pull-up resistors. The stepper motor control signal is output through terminal CON9.
8. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The analog input module includes a precision resistor R15, an operational amplifier U13A, and a resistor R18. The current signal is input through the mA terminal, sampled by the precision resistor R15, and converted into a 0.2-1V DC voltage signal. This DC voltage signal is impedance-transformed by a voltage follower composed of the operational amplifier U13A and then output with current limiting by the resistor R18.
9. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first 485 circuit, in which U5 is a TTL to 485 communication chip. The TTL communication signal output by the MCU is converted into a 485 communication signal by U5 and then output from terminal CON2. Resistor R34 is a fuse resistor to prevent U5 from burning out when the external circuit is short-circuited. It also includes a second 485 circuit, in which U is a TTL to 485 communication chip. The TTL communication signal output by the MCU is converted into a 485 communication signal by U and then output from terminal CON. Resistor R3 is a fuse resistor to prevent U6 from burning out when the external circuit is short-circuited.
10. The automatic control module for irrigation gates with Cat.1 function according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the Cat.1 circuit module, U19 is the Cat.1 module, MS is the patch electronic data card, ANTZ is the external 4G antenna interface, capacitor C12 is the power decoupling and anti-interference capacitor for the Cat.1 module, capacitor C8 is the power decoupling and anti-interference capacitor for the electronic data card, and the MS ports SIM-I / O, SIM-RST, and SIM-CLK are connected to U19 for data interaction. The U19 ports CAT-RX and CAT-TX are connected to the MCU for data interaction between the Cat.1 circuit section and the MCU.