Ultrasonic Sensor and Linear Actuator Project

Projects General Guidance
1

I am brainstorming a project to automate part of an irrigation system on my farm. The general layout is shown in the picture below. I have been playing around with some hardware bits and pieces that I think will work, but would like to get some advice on feasibility before I proceed any further.

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Here is the problem I would like to solve.

Controlling "Water Level B" manually is a huge pain in my backside.

It is accomplished by adjusting the "Control Gate" up or down to meet the demands of the "Pumps".

This demand is not steady throughout the day so it is a constant battle to adjust the gate properly.

The distance from the "Control Gate" to "Water Level B" is approximately 2,500 feet so there is about a 30 minute delay from the time the gate is adjusted to when you see the full effect on "Water Level B".

Here is what I "think" I want to do about it.

  1. Measure "Water Level B" with an ultrasonic sensor.

  2. Transmit the measurement to the site of the "Control Gate" using a 900 mhz. Xbee.

  3. Receive the the signal with a second Xbee.

  4. An Arduino Uno would filter that signal to remove outliers.

  5. The "Control Gate" would be adjusted using a motor controller and a linear actuator.

In brainstorming this setup I think I will need to implement some PID functionality or at least the P portion to get the gate to respond quickly enough to changing demands on the system.

I have experimented with the ultrasonic sensor and the Xbees and have them working, but the coding to make the entire system work is currently beyond my knowledge level.

Is it feasible to pursue this project?

Is there a better method to use?

Sorry about the wordiness and thanks for any guidance you can offer.

2

Why dont you use a water level indicator instead. If you can set the level at which the water should be so that after 30 minutes it doesnt overflow then this should work.. You can use multiple sensors for a more detailed information about the water level as in when it is too low and the gate needs to be opened again.

3

Water level sensors could be an option. I started looking into using an ultrasonic sensor because that is what the commercially available systems use.

Just to clarify. The control gate is always open when at least one pump is running. The amount that it is opened is what needs to be controlled.