IRRIOT - Wireless Irrigation IoT Automation Platform. Wireless Valve Control Station

IRRIOT (Irrigation IoT) is a device from the IoT family, Internet of Things, a wireless automatic irrigation system (Wireless IoT Irrigation Automation). It can be installed on agricultural fields, in greenhouses, on sports grounds, in parks, - wherever constant watering is needed. Controlled through the application, it can turn on and off automatically and/or at the user's command.

The system consists of remote solenoid valve control modules - remotes - and an irrigation controller (base). The base supports 32 modules.

At the start, a ready-made case RND 455-00162 was chosen.

The device has a 0.5 watt solar panel, the main board, a LoRa standard modem, interfaces for connecting sensors, and a battery.

The system functions autonomously. It works with weather data that it receives through Cloud+, and information from sensors (soil moisture, air temperature, etc.). At the right time, turns on/off the water.

Housing requirements: plastic must withstand changes in temperature and humidity, direct sunlight, splashes of water, and mineral and chemical fertilizers. The transparent plastic of the solar panel should not become cloudy in the sun.

We need both radio transparency and protection of internal components from condensation - the modules will be installed outdoors. Condensation protection + housing protects against dust and moisture - IP66 (including the solar panel).

The new case will be in bright colors - the device should not heat up in the sun.

Let's look at trends, shall we?

Hand sketches:

...and more…

...yet more...

Selected:

Outcome:

There must be a place on the module case for an external antenna connector. Here:

What to do with the protective glass of the solar battery. Glue? The body must be sealed. Maybe ultrasonic welding is better here? We decided to use both methods.

Renders:

Analyzing the prototype:

Pre-production:

Next, pick up a factory and make 200 sets by casting into silicone molds: