Description of the automation problem
The garden pump control unit is a control system for a water pump responsible for watering a garden or fountain. The control system has to fulfil various tasks, such as preventing the pump from operating when the main switch is switched off, during maintenance or holiday periods, protecting the pump from frost damage by maintaining a minimum temperature of 5°C and maintaining a pre-delivery pressure of approximately 25% of the pump capacity.
Other requirements include increasing the pump capacity to 100% as soon as the pre-delivery pressure is reached, and switching the pump on and off daily from 5pm if the temperature is above 20°C.
When the pump is running in automatic mode, an indicator light should illuminate and the pump should automatically switch off after two hours of operation. A manual button should trigger the pump to run for two hours if the conditions are met.
Technologien und Systemkomponenten für die Implementierung
- A temperature sensor to monitor the ambient temperature
- A water pump with control inputs for power control and activation/deactivation
- A digital input for the main switch to enable or disable pump operation globally
- A pressure switch input to monitor the supply pressure
- An indicator light as a digital output to indicate whether the pump is running in automatic mode
- A manual button digital input to trigger a two-hour run of the pump.
Recommended approach to solving the automation problem
The M!OS should monitor the various inputs and control the corresponding outputs. The main switch should be used as a digital input to enable or disable the pump globally. A temperature sensor should measure the actual temperature to ensure that the pump does not start at temperatures below 5°C.
The pressure switch should provide the signal to monitor the supply pressure and switch the pump on or off accordingly. A further digital input should be provided for the manual button to trigger a two hour run of the pump.
The pump‘s two control inputs (Enable and PWM) and the indicator light should be used as outputs. The pump‘s Enable input is activated when the pump is switched on. The pump‘s PWM input should be used to control the pump‘s output and increase it to 100% when the pre-delivery pressure is reached. The indicator light should be switched on when the pump is running in automatic mode and the indicator light should be switched off automatically after two hours of operation.
A plausibility check of the connected equipment is carried out to ensure that everything is working properly before the system is commissioned. Once set up, the M!OS can provide all control and measurement information in live mode with an active connection, or operate completely independently in headless mode using the downloaded configuration.
About the M!OS system
The M!OS system makes it easy to configure processes and implement automation. The M!OS-CT software provides a graphical user interface that requires no programming knowledge for process design. In addition, pre-configured device profiles are available for a quick start.
