Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SPRINKLERS

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN EXPLORATION & MINING FOUNDATION, a company incorporated in India, having address at 3rd Floor, i2h Tower (Institute Innovation Hub), IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, Jharkhand - 826004

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. 
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and method of operating and controlling sprinklers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Haul roads in opencast mines cause majority of dust emissions resulting in health hazards to the miners and the inhabitants of the surrounding area. Therefore, the airborne dust including particulate matters especially PM2.5 and PM10 in opencast mines are required to be reduced. The conventional water-spraying system is being used for dust suppression in haul roads using a large number of water tankers, and water sprinkling is done manually.
However, the above method of dust suppression is not very effective, since there is a wastage of large quantities of water as excess water drains out from the haul roads. In addition, over watering of haul roads deteriorates the condition of the roads in the mining area resulting in slippage of dumper tyres and therefore, frequent maintenance of the haul roads is required which increases the maintenance cost as well as probability of an accident.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve one or more of the aforementioned issues.
 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system and method for operating sprinklers is described. The system comprising at least one sprinkler for sprinkling water; a solenoid valve, connected to the sprinkler; a pump house, connected to the sprinkler and the solenoid valve, for supply of water, wherein the pump house comprises a wireless device (6) and a pump (15), and wherein the wireless device (6) is configured to connect and communicate with a central server; and a sensor module, connected to the solenoid valve, configured to operate the solenoid valve for sprinkling water through sprinkler based on instructions received from the central server, wherein the sensor module is configured to send the data relating to dust level, moisture level of haul road surface, and the vehicle movement to the central server, wherein the central server is configured to operate the pump house, and process the data received from the sensor module.
A method for operating sprinklers comprising the steps of measuring, by a sensor module, dust concentration, moisture level, and the vehicle movement on haul road; operating, by the sensor module, the solenoid valve for sprinkling of water if the dust level is higher than the set threshold value, wherein before opening the solenoid valve, the sensor module checks whether the moisture level of the road is less than the particular set threshold level and whether there is any vehicle movement detected by the motion sensor on the haul road; and stopping, by the sensor module, the solenoid valve when the dust level reaches below the threshold value.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, example of which may be illustrated in the accompanying figure(s). These figure(s) are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in the context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 shows a system of pump house/system and sprinklers according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a pump house/system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 shows sprinklers arrangement/system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 shows sprinklers arrangement/system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 shows a block diagram of a sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 6 shows a flowchart of operating the sprinklers according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the system and method of automatic operation of sprinklers for dust suppression for haul roads in opencast mines. The system and method provide automatic control of solenoid valve(s) connected to a sprinkler(s) installed on haul roads, and pump/water motor based on dust particle level in air, vehicles movement, and soil moisture. Additionally, the system and method provide operation of the solenoid valve and pump/water motor at specific time intervals.
The invention also discloses an autonomous pumping arrangement with an intelligent control panel, wireless device, duplex strainers with differential pressure gauge, water level sensors for a water storage tank, and a pressure sensor for operation of the pump/water motor as and when required for safe and economic operation of the pump/water motor.
The present invention in an embodiment provides a wireless and sensor-based control of the sprinklers through a wireless network and IoT-based sensors for continuous monitoring of haul road moisture, vehicle movement on the haul road, and particulate matters (PM10 and PM2.5) in the ambient air along the edge of the haul road. In addition, the present invention provides remote control of pump/water motor through relay unit and wireless device/module which allows the end-user to turn on/off from a remote location. Further, the present invention provides remote monitoring facility for the sprinkler operation using a GSM unit or wireless network or cloud server for uploading the operating status of the pump/water motor and sprinkler to the cloud server as well as displaying the values coming from different monitoring sensors.
The present invention provides automatic wireless control and monitoring of sprinkler and pump house/system. The sensor nodes, pump/water motor, and web/mobile application are connected for increasing reliability and ensuring the proper functioning.

A system for operating sprinklers comprising at least one sprinkler for sprinkling water; a solenoid valve, connected to the sprinkler; a pump house, connected to the sprinklers and the solenoid valves, for supply of water, wherein the pump house comprises a wireless device (6) and a pump (15), and wherein the wireless device (6) is configured to connect and communicate with a central server; and a sensor module, connected to the solenoid valve, configured to operate the solenoid valve for sprinkling water through sprinkler based on instructions received from the central server, wherein the sensor module is configured to send the data relating to dust level, moisture level of haul road surface, and the vehicle movement to the central server, wherein the central server is configured to operate the pump house, and process the data received from the sensor module.

The pump house comprises a level switch (11) installed in a water tank (10), a differential pressure switches (12) installed across duplex strainer (17), and the operating arrangement pump/water motor (15).
The sensor module comprises a battery (33), an OLED display (34), a GSM unit (35), a wireless module (36), a relay unit (37), a PM2.5/PM10 sensor (38), a moisture sensor (39), a proximity sensor (40), a microcontroller (41), and an IP55 enclosure (42).
The microcontroller (41) is configured to acquire, process the data from PM2.5/PM10 sensor (38), moisture sensor (39), and proximity sensor (40), and performs operation related to transmission/receiving of data or activation/deactivation of relay unit (37).
The microcontroller (41) is configured to acquire data and sends it to the central server through a WiFi network based on MQTT protocol using the wireless module (36).
The microcontroller (41) is configured to acquire data and sends it to a cloud network through GSM unit (35) to make it available on global app or website.
The relay unit (37) is configured to operate the solenoid valve for sprinkling operation, wherein the OLED display (34) provides on-board display of sensor data. The solenoid valve operates at a predefined interval, and as and when required based on the sensor data. The central server is configured to process the data received from the sensor module and instructs the sensor module to operate the solenoid valve. The data stored in the central server may be used for analysis. Additionally, the central server based on processed data may only operate few of the solenoid valves for sprinkling of water in an event some areas don’t require sprinkling of water.

A method for operating sprinklers comprising the steps of:
(a) measuring, by a sensor module, dust concentration, moisture level, and the vehicle movement on haul road;
(b) operating, by the sensor module, the solenoid valve for sprinkling of water if the dust level is higher than the set threshold value, wherein before opening the solenoid valve, the sensor module checks whether the moisture level of the road is less than the particular set threshold level and whether there is any vehicle movement detected by the motion sensor on the haul road; and
(c) stopping, by the sensor module, the solenoid valve when the dust level reaches below the threshold value.
The step of operating the solenoid valve comprises operating the solenoid valve for sprinkling of water at predefined time intervals.

The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in diagram form in order to facilitate describing the claimed subject matter.

Referring to Figure 1, a system of pump house/system and sprinklers is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the system comprises a pump house/system (1), a sprinklers arrangement (2, 3) having a set of four (4) sprinklers, solenoid valve, and a sensor module, and a sprinklers arrangement (4, 5) having a set of three (3) sprinklers, solenoid valve, and a sensor module.
For instance, the sprinklers are installed to spray water around 250 m long haul road of 12 m width in an opencast coal mine, for longer distance haul road more numbers of solenoids and sprinklers have to be installed. The pump house/system (1) supplies quantified water to the sprinklers arrangement (2, 3, 4, 5) for dust suppression.

Referring to Figure 2, a pump house/system is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pump house/system comprises a wireless device (6), a water supply (7), a gate valve (8), a drain (9), a water tank (10), a level switch (11), a differential pressure switch (12), a gate valve (13), a control panel (14), a pump/water motor (15), a globe valve (16), a duplex strainer (17), a non-return valve (18), a gate valve (19), a globe valve (20), a bypass line (21), a pressure relief valve (22), a pressure gauge (23), a pressure switch (24), and a float valve (25). Continuous water supply (7) is provided, and water is stored in the water tank (10) adjacent to the pump/water motor (15) through a gate valve (8) and water flow is controlled by the float valve (25) inside the water tank (10) which is fitted with the water supply (7). Water from the water tank (10) is released through the drain (9) while cleaning the water tank to remove silt deposited at the bottom. Water flows from the tank (10) by gravity through a gate valve (13) and duplex strainers (17) to the pump/water motor (15). A pump/water motor (15) with a gate valve (13) at suction receives water from the tank (10) through the strainer (17). Pressurized water from the pump/water motor (15) flows through a non-return valve (18) and a gate valve (19) via a globe valve (20), a pressure gauge (23), and a pressure switch (24) to the sprinkler’s headers. A bypass line (21) with a globe valve (16) and a pressure relief (22) valve is used to tune the pump head and to return excess water when the sprinkler(s) is/are not in operation. A float valve (25) in the tank (10) stops water filling when the tank (10) is full. The level switch (11) gives signal when the water tank (10) is empty. The level switch (11) also sends a signal to the control panel (14) for stopping the pump/water motor in case the tank (10) gets empty. A differential pressure switch (12) installed across the duplex strainer (17) sends a signal to the pump panel (14) with an indication when the strainers (17) need cleaning based on the increase in pressure level measured by the differential pressure switch (12) to avoid choking of water supply to the pump/water motor (15). A panel (14) in the pump house is used to start and stop the pump (15) before and after the sprinkling operation. The sprinkler can be also operated manually/automatically from this panel (14). For automatic operation or remote operation, a wireless module (6) is installed with the control panel (14) which takes the data from level switch (11) installed in tank (10), differential pressure switches (12) installed across duplex strainer (17), and the operating status of pump (15) and sends it to the MQTT protocol based wireless network. The duplex strainer (17) is used for filtering the water.

Referring to Figure 3, a sprinklers arrangement/system is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the sprinklers arrangement comprises sub-units pump house (1) and sprinkler arrangement (2). Figure 3 shows arrangement of sprinklers such that the sprinklers are installed in part circle type (half circle) at regular intervals of 17 m so that the coverage area of the sprinklers overlaps to wet the entire road of 12 m width.

Referring to Figure 4, sprinklers arrangement/system is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. The arrangement/system consists of a gate valve (46), a globe valve (45), a pipeline (26), a solenoid valve (27), a sprinkler-01 (28), sprinkler-02 (29), sprinkler-03 (30), sprinkler-04 (31), and a sensor module (32). The pressurized water from the pump/water motor flows through a gate valve (46) via a globe valve (45) to the sprinklers (28 to 31) when operated manually and through the solenoid valve (27) when automatically controlled by the sensor module (32). The sprinklers system is operated to create artificial rain to keep the surface of the haul road wet.
For instance, the haul road of 250 m long and 12 width is covered with 14 nos. of sprinklers with 4 solenoid valves (27). 4 sprinklers are connected to 1 solenoid valve for the first 2 sets of solenoid valve and sprinklers (28 and 29), and subsequently, 3 sprinklers are connected with 1 solenoid valve for the subsequent 2 sets of solenoid valve and sprinklers (30 and 31). Each sprinkler of 15.5 m through is installed on a riser pipe connected to the branch header at 1.5 m height, and the distance between the 2 sprinklers is 17 m. The main header pipelines (26) are laid buried in the ground along the haul road around 1 m away from the road edge. The sprinklers are a part circle type (half circle), which are installed at regular intervals of 17 m so that the coverage area of the sprinklers overlaps to wet the entire road. Each set of sprinklers have a separate solenoid valve (27) to operate the group of 3-4 sprinklers at a time. The sensor module (32) connected to each sprinkler set (28-31) is designed to acquire data required to determine whether the sprinkler system requires to be switched on.

Referring to Figure 5, a block diagram of the sensor module is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the sensor module comprises a battery (33), an OLED display (34), a GSM unit (35), a wireless module (36), a relay unit (37), a PM2.5/PM10 sensor (38), a moisture sensor (39), a proximity sensor (40), a microcontroller (41), and an IP55 enclosure (42).
The microcontroller (41) is used to acquire, process the data from PM2.5/PM10 sensor (38), the moisture sensor (39), and the proximity sensor (40) and perform any operation related to transmission/receiving of data or activation/deactivation of relay unit. The microcontroller (41) is programmed to perform all the operation being done by sensor module. The sensor module acquires data and sends it to the control station through a local WiFi network based on MQTT protocol through wireless module (36) and sends the data to cloud network through GSM unit (35) to make it available on global app or website.
The relay unit (37) is used to operate the solenoid valve for sprinkling operation. The sensor module is fitted in an IP55 (Ingress Protection rating 55) enclosure (42). The OLED display (34) is provided for on-board display of sensor data. The sensor module is powered by a battery (33) of suitable backup as per the requirement.

Referring to Figure 6, a flowchart of operation the sprinkler is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sensor module senses the dust concentration in their vicinity periodically and analyses the dust level, continuously measures the moisture level of the haul road surface, and measures the vehicle movement on the haul road. The solenoid valve opens if the dust level is higher than the set threshold value. However, before opening the valve, the system/method also checks whether the moisture level of the road is less than the particular set threshold level and whether there is any vehicle movement detected by the motion sensor on the haul road. Water flows through the spray nozzle which in turn creates an artificial rain of tiny water droplets in the confined area. These droplets literally absorb dust particles out of the air and help to limit the dust level without wetting down to the environment. When the dust level reaches below the threshold value, the solenoid valve closes automatically and the same process is repeated for continuous monitoring of the environment.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The present invention provides suppression of dust emission from haul roads of opencast mines. Further, the invention can be used in material handling sites for effective dust suppression.
The advantages of the invention are:
a) The system and method efficiently provides a wireless and sensor-based dust suppression for haul roads in opencast mines for performing various tasks covering automatic and wireless control of solenoid valves connected to a group of sprinklers installed on haul roads as well as pump motor based on dust particle level in air, vehicles movement, and soil moisture.

b) The system and method provide an autonomous pumping arrangement with an intelligent control panel, wireless device, duplex strainers with differential pressure gauge, water level sensors for a water storage tank, and a pressure sensor for remote operation of the pump as and when required.

c) The system and method provide a methodology for automatic operation of a group of sprinklers in a sequence based on a signal from the wireless device after a predefined time interval and sensor threshold value-based operation of the group of sprinklers in the required stretch of haul road between two predefined long time periods for efficient dust control in the mine throughout the working period.

d) The system and method efficiently provide a wireless and sensor-based control of the sprinklers through a wireless network and IoT-based sensors for continuous monitoring of haul road moisture, vehicle movement on the haul road, and particulate matters (PM10 and PM2.5, wherein PM represents Particulate Matter, PM10 signifies dust particles which are less than 10 micron metre diameter, and PM2.5 signifies dust particles which are less than 2.5 micron metre diameter) in the ambient air along the edge of the haul road.

e) The system and method efficiently provide a remote control of water motor through relay unit and wireless module which allows the end-user to turn on/off the system from a remote location through the wireless network for providing an efficient dust suppression by controlling the wastage of water and electricity.

f) The system and method efficiently provide a Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) based local network on which the sprinkler-sensor nodes, water motor, and web/mobile application are connected for increasing reliability and ensuring the proper functioning of the system.

g) The system and method efficiently provide a remote monitoring facility for the sprinkler operation using a GSM unit or wireless network or cloud server for uploading the operating status of the water motor and sprinkler to the cloud server as well as displaying the values coming from different monitoring sensors, operating status of water motor and solenoid valves, water levels in the water storage tank, and pressure development in the pump/water motor discharge and duplex strainers to the user’s mobile/laptop/desktop through web applications.

ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
The economic benefits of the present invention in comparison to the already existing technology are as follows:
a) The invention does not require constant deployment of manpower as its operation is automatic through controller, wireless network, and sensor readings.
b) The invention effectively controls dust emission by spraying water as and when required in the field without running the system continuously; thus, it saves cost of excess water and energy.

c) The invention prevents formation of mud on haul roads due to its sensor-based controlled operation, which reduces slippage of vehicle tires and accidents; thus, reducing the maintenance cost of vehicles, and minimizing the accidents.

d) Dust suppression on the mine haul roads is better than the existing technology as the present invention continuously measures the dust concentration, moisture level, and vehicle movement, and reduces dust emission throughout the working period of the mine. Hence, it reduces dust levels in and around the mining area, and prevents pneumoconiosis among the mine workers, which has huge health benefits for the people in the mining area. Thus, the invention reduces air pollution.

The foregoing description of the invention has been set merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the disclosure.
, Claims:CLAIMS
I/We Claim:
1. A system for operating sprinklers comprising:
at least one sprinkler for sprinkling water;
a solenoid valve, connected to the sprinkler;
a pump house, connected to the sprinkler and the solenoid valve, for supply of water, wherein the pump house comprises a wireless device (6) and a pump (15), and wherein the wireless device (6) is configured to connect and communicate with a central server; and
a sensor module, connected to the solenoid valve, configured to operate the solenoid valve for sprinkling water through sprinkler based on instructions received from the central server,
wherein the sensor module is configured to send the data relating to dust level, moisture level of haul road surface, and the vehicle movement to the central server,
wherein the central server is configured to operate the pump house, and process the data received from the sensor module.

2. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump house comprises a level switch (11) installed in a water tank (10), a differential pressure switches (12) installed across duplex strainer (17), and the operating status of pump/water motor (15).

3. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises a battery (33), an OLED display (34), a GSM unit (35), a wireless module (36), a relay unit (37), a PM2.5/PM10 sensor (38), a moisture sensor (39), a proximity sensor (40), a microcontroller (41), and an IP55 enclosure (42).

4. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller (41) is configured to acquire, process the data from PM2.5/PM10 sensor (38), moisture sensor (39), and proximity sensor (40), and performs operation related to transmission/receiving of data or activation/deactivation of relay unit (37).

5. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller (41) is configured to acquire data and sends it to the central server through a WiFi network based on MQTT protocol using the wireless module (36).

6. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller (41) is configured to acquire data and sends it to a cloud network through GSM unit (35) to make it available on global app or website.

7. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relay unit (37) is configured to operate the solenoid valve for sprinkling operation, wherein the OLED display (34) provides on-board display of sensor data.

8. The system for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solenoid valve operates at a predefined interval.

9. A method for operating sprinklers comprising the steps of:
measuring, by a sensor module, dust concentration, moisture level, and the vehicle movement on haul road;
operating, by the sensor module, the solenoid valve for sprinkling of water if the dust level is higher than the set threshold value, wherein before opening the solenoid valve, the sensor module checks whether the moisture level of the road is less than the particular set threshold level and whether there is any vehicle movement detected by the motion sensor on the haul road; and
stopping, by the sensor module, the solenoid valve when the dust level reaches below the threshold value.
10. The method for operating sprinklers as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of operating the solenoid valve comprises operating the solenoid valve for sprinkling of water at predefined time intervals.