The Support Sprinkler

The Support Sprinkler is an automatic support beam implanted into the ground; that stabilizes a young (big) plant, and gives daily water to the plant at the same time. Essentially a 2-in-1. With this innovation you never need to worry about the growth of an aspiring plant. This innovation is especially useful to those with limited abilities, for example: elders, people with disabilities, people with back problems, ect. This is because gardening is a very hands-on activity. Especially when watering a big plant it is hard to get to the roots. People with limited abilities on a normal scale would have to crouch down into the plant to successfully get to the roots—-even with a hose—-and without a hose you would have to heave water into the plant with momentum and force. Something that would prove difficult to people with limitations. So this innovation would not only solve the effort needed to irrigate said plants, but it would take away the risk of injury for said people. One of the functional requirements for users to effectively use the device is the necessary length from the tap to the plant. This is a variable requirement because depending on the distance from point A to point B, the amount of time the automatic Support Sprinkler will be on everyday will also vary. As 7 seconds the sprinkler is on doesn't mean 7 seconds water is being directly sprayed onto the plant, as the time it takes to get from the tap to the plant is also included. This variable is considered as it ensures that the plant is getting the adequate amount of water, or else it may suffer from dehydration or over-watering. 

The project’s profound purpose is in hindsight; an embedded system that efficiently makes less work for the user. The Support Sprinkler functions by supporting a chosen plant and irrigating it at the same time. Some of the pre-planned features to make my device more effective include a design choice of making the irrigating part of the system caved in. This creates a downward angle of which the water is being poured out of. This ensures that the roots of the plant will get water, as it will decrease the risk of the water spraying out and missing the plant. The end in which the device is inserted into the ground has a sharp edge for easy application.  Some of the function features include that water will be sprayed out at “Prime Time” the best time to water plants around 8am, this increases the functionality of the project as it will be best for the plants as well as the fact that no-one is going to get up at 8 in the morning to water their plants, so not only does the device same time, it's also beneficial to the plant. Some aspects of my project have been narrowed to appease to available time and resources. For example,  a temperature sensor that surveys the ambient temperature around the device. This sensor would make the device fully automatic as when it gets cold (winter) watering is no longer needed, so when it gets to that point in time, a temperature sensor would be able to tell the device to no longer open the valve, therefore keeping dormant during winter until the temperatures rise again and watering is needed. This takes away the risk of overwatering but, It is not completely needed because although the device is automatic, it can also be manually stopped as you would just need to close the tap. The function would be cool but unless time allows it, it is not necessary to the device. Parameters that restrict the device would include  changes to the environment, for example temperature, harsh conditions(weather), water all of these things impact the effectiveness of the device, and the materials needed to build said device. Gathering all of these materials for the finished product is not a problem, but due to these limitations—testing will prove difficult. This point is due to the fact that a prototype cannot be made of something simple or virtually inexpensive like paper or cardboard as it is not waterproof.

In the design for the Support Sprinkler, many aspects are taken into consideration. As stated before, one of the pre-planned features to make my device more effective includes a design choice of making the irrigating part of the system caved in. This creates a downward angle of which the water is being poured out of. This ensures that the roots of the plant will get water, as it will decrease the risk of the water spraying out and missing the plant. From the irrigation mechanism a hose will be connected to it, and then connected to a valve between the hose and the tap. The valve will be the heart of the device, as it is what allows the device to be automatic. The tap will always be on, the valve connected to the tap will stop the water from flowing out to the plant, as well it will open to let water flow to the plant. The valve will be connected to an arduino board which will be coded with an analog clock type function that will be able to tell time and effectively be the set up for a Time-Variable-If-Function. Which essentially means that when a certain time in the day is reached, the arduino board will signal to the valve to open for a specified amount of time. The arduino board will signal and cause for the valve to open by sending an electrical pulse to the valve through the solenoid, creating an electro-magnetic field around the diaphragm, when this happens it magnetic-fies the chamber and spring. This magnetic device brings the diaphragm up and off the valve seat—allowing water to flow through the valve. As the arduino board is sending an electrical pulse to cause this reaction, when the arduino board stops sending the electrical pulse the valve closes again. This combined with code will allow the mechanism to be fully automatic. 

The plan of action will consist of gathering the necessary materials to initiate testing. For example:

•  a valve, 

• arduino board, 

• arduino board components, ect. 

                  But before it will also consist of figuring out the measurements of all components, for example:

•  the length of chosen hose 

•  diameter of chosen hose

• the height of the irrigating device,

•  Several drafting drawings, ect.

Estimated cost for materials: 

Arduino Board: $26

Steel stake: $15

PVC Flexible hose:$16

Standard valve: $30

TOTAL(materials)= $87

estimated cost for labor:

$15 x (35 x 10)/60 = $87.5 

TOTAL= $ 174.5 

For the next 28 days 10 minutes will be put into the project each day. 

Potts, Leanne. “Here’s Why Morning Is the Best Time of Day to Water Your Plants.” Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2023, www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/best-time-of-day-to-water-plants/#:~:text=The%20best%20time%20to%20water%20outdoor%20plants%20is%20in%20the,not%20to%20water%20at%20night.

Hunter Industries ResCom, and Golf Irrigation. YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBajCvLNem8. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.

“How Your Sprinkler Timer Really Works.” Sprinkler School, 23 June 2022, school.sprinklerwarehouse.com/controllers/how-your-sprinkler-timer-really-works/#:~:text=Using%20volts%2C%20the%20timer%20sends,pop%20up%20and%20begin%20watering. 

“The Flow Rate of a Garden Hose.” Swan Hose, Swan Hose, 24 Mar. 2022, swanhose.com/blogs/general-hoses/the-flow-rate-of-a-garden-hose-explained-swanhose?srsltid=AfmBOoqNegL1FzqBcHRNPbgYfDgnO7lzSJQr3pf4347caI8ylOaMLEcp. 

“Flexible PVC.” Plastic Molded Concepts, 13 June 2023, www.pmcplastics.com/resources/engineered-resins/pvc-flexible/#:~:text=Flexible%20PVC%20is%20a%20soft,large%20range%20of%20flexible%20compositions.