Distributed Water Management Nodes for Autonomous Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water management systems for irrigation and industrial processes lack integrated monitoring and control capabilities, leading to centralized operation limitations, reduced flexibility, and inadequate response to changes in system components, which complicates efficient water use and management.
Innovation Solution
A distributed water management system with a network of interconnected nodes, sensors, actuators, and controllers that communicate through a hydraulic interface, allowing for real-time monitoring and control of water use, enabling autonomous operation and dynamic responses to changing conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized control system is used to manage water distribution, then control authority is consolidated, but system flexibility and responsiveness to local conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the centralized control function into distributed autonomous nodes (controllers, sensors, actuators) that operate independently but coordinate through message passing. Each node manages its local water distribution decisions while maintaining system-wide coherence through standardized communication protocols, thus achieving both local flexibility and global reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a message-based communication system as an intermediary layer between distributed components. Messages carry control commands, status information, and coordination data between nodes, enabling flexible local responses while maintaining coordinated system-wide control without requiring direct centralized management.
2Reliability
If direct connection to central controller is required for all modules, then centralized control is maintained, but system complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediate controllers and message-based communication as mediators between end devices and the central control function. This hierarchical messaging structure allows devices to communicate control information without direct physical or logical connections to the central controller, simplifying the connection architecture while maintaining centralized control authority.
Solution Approach 2:
The control architecture is segmented into multiple independent communication channels and nodes that can operate autonomously. Each node handles local communication and control decisions, reducing the complexity of direct central connections while maintaining overall system coordination through standardized message protocols.
3Adaptability or versatility
If distributed autonomous nodes communicate through standardized protocols, then system adaptability and responsiveness improve, but communication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal message protocol that serves multiple functions: control command transmission, status reporting, error handling, and coordination between different node types. This single standardized communication interface handles diverse communication needs across sensors, actuators, and controllers, reducing overall system complexity despite the distributed architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a system and method for managing water or other fluid that provides monitoring and reliable control of the use of water or other fluid in a given territorial area, facilitating the management of water use or other fluid in processes where it is involved, for example in tasks of irrigating agricultural land or in industrial processes using fluids such as leaching. The system and method of the invention operates on the basis of a distributed monitoring and control logic implemented to control and monitor a hydraulic system located in the given territorial area by an arrangement of sensors, actuators and controllers deployed in communication with a network of nodes that allows a user to monitor, control and automate the use of water in that territorial area, reducing to almost zero user intervention in the process of monitoring and control to almost zero.